


Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

by TheBeckster



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, copied over as-is, please don't actualy read this, this was only moved for safekeeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-17
Updated: 2010-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 53,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24154327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeckster/pseuds/TheBeckster
Summary: A little bit of late night fun throws a stoic bot headfirst into something he would rather face ten 'cons than deal with. Will he find it in his spark to learn compassion? He better, or else… Movie-verse/G1 Characters. Pairings? Purely Platonic.-----Originally posted on fanfiction.net from 5/17/2010 to 1/15/2016. Copied over as-is 5/12/2020.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first transformers fic, so I'm a little iffy on some things. Those of you with more Transformers knowledge guide me if I'm doing something completely wrong. Haha.
> 
> Thank you so much PAW07 for the help. Hopefully this is better than what I first sent to you. I can't thank you enough for the help. :D
> 
> For those of you who don't know PAW07: I highly suggest, strongly suggest. No. I order you to go check out her fics. She's a really talenter writer and she writes on just about everything under the sun.
> 
> Now please read and review. I would love some feedback on this. See what I need to work on and stuff. Thank you!

Title: Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Summary: A little bit of late night fun throws a stoic bot headfirst into something he would rather face ten 'cons than deal with. Will he find it in his spark to learn compassion? He better, or else…

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, sadly.

Rating: T for language

**Chapter 1**

The night was still and silent. The moon had set hours ago; the stars were covered by a blanket of clouds; the insects had stopped making their noise and the air was thick with humidity. It was a sticky, silent, summer night.

_Perfect_. A silent form thought as he snuck out of the door _nobody in their right mind will be out at this hour._ He crept farther out and a second form followed him like a shadow.

The two were completely silent until they reached the main road. The first being turned his lights on and turned to face the other. He trained his lights on the other's face with blinding accuracy.

"Primus, Sides!" the second hissed throwing his hands up to shield his optics "You don't have to slagging blind me!"

Sideswipe laughed and dimmed his head lights, saying "Lighten up, Sunny. Now come on, let's do what we came out here for."

He scanned the road for any approaching traffic. Once he was assured the road was really empty he stepped out and transformed in all his shifting, metal glory. His brother followed suit and soon two cars of the same model but different colors were sitting in the road, engines purring in anticipation. Sideswipe was a flashy, racecar red, his paint reflected the distant street light. His twin, Sunstreaker, was a bright, equally flashy yellow. Sunny's paint glistened in the light. He looks like a car that had just rolled out of a car show. Sunstreaker's vanity was known throughout the Autobots.

"So where to tonight?" the yellow twin said to his brother.

"Oh, I don't know. How about to the Ford dealership on the other side of the city?"

"Works for me. Straight through the main path or around the main outskirts?"

"Around, through the residential area. It's Saturday and Primus knows how many humans will be wandering around intoxicated in the main city."

"Even at this hour?" Sunstreaker asked.

"Especially at this hour. It's when the humans start throwing each other out of their bars. And they're left wandering the streets."

"It's 3am…."

"That doesn't matter. Intoxicated humans don't tell time, they're nocturnal."

"So what's the prize this time?"

"Loser has to take the blame if we get caught during a prank, as always." Sideswipe stated simply.

"Works for me." Sunstreaker said revving his engine. He couldn't wait to get moving again. He hated driving on Earth and following their (ugh) ….speed limits. He missed Cybertron and how fast he and Sides could go there. They raced everywhere, now they had to save their races until after dark and race in secret. Prowl had forbade them to race in fear that they would damage one of the humans. Sunny cringed at the punishment Prowl would instill if he ever found out about their late night races. But the yellow twin needed the speed to keep him sane on this dull, organic, dirty planet.

"Ready?" Sides asked.

"You're going to lose again, brother." Sunny replied revving his engine mock threateningly.

"GO!" Sides shouted and the twins shot off into the night.

Both of the twins were constantly scanning for any human police while trying to pull ahead of their brother. Occasionally, one would call out to take the next turn to avoid the local law enforcement. Their detours led the racers out of the city and soon they approached a quiet suburb. Sunny was behind his brother as they took the last turn into the area of houses, but he turned tighter and pulled ahead. Laughing, the twins sped through the suburb breaking the stillness.

Sunny was gloating to his brother when his scanner picked up something running right into his path. He skidded to a stop, too late. With a thud; he hit whatever had run in front of him and his brother sped past in a red blur.

_Shit!_ Sunny thought uttering one of the Earth swears he had picked up from hanging around the humans.

:Sides stop!: he sent out desperately to his brother who was now out of sight.

:What's wrong? Did you slip up brother?: Sideswipe teased as he continued to drive, but he slowed down, something was wrong in his brother's tone and something in their spark bond was off.

:Sides, get back here! ... I hit a human…: Sunny pleaded.

Sideswipe screeched to a halt. His brother never, NEVER, pleaded. Something was wrong. His tires left marks as he turned around to race back to his brother. As he came upon his sibling he saw Sunny had transformed. :Are you out of your slagging mind?: Sides asked :What if someone sees you?:

"Is it dead?" Sunny asked ignoring his brother, too distressed to scan the human himself. He knew he would be slagged if it was dead. His thoughts flew to his exterior and he hoped the stupid human hadn't ruined his bumper or pain job. _Slaging thing for running in front of me!_ he fumed.

Sides did a quick scan, "No, it's alive, but some of its appendages are broken."

"What are we going to do?" Sunny asked. "What if someone saw?"

Sides did another scan, "Relax, all the humans in neighboring houses are sleeping. The two in this white house are awake, but unaware they seem to be gathered in their dining unit."

"What are we going to do with it?" Sunny said point frantically to the broken form by his feet.

Sideswipe transformed and reached through his spark bond to his brother. His panic was starting to fluster him. "Relax, we'll just call a human emergency team to come get her."

"And they'll arrive and find out there isn't a witness, or a culprit and then the story will make news and you know Prowl will figure it out." Sunny growled. He and Sideswipe had come to the conclusion that Prowl could see into their processors just by looking at them and tell when someone way lying to him.

"Well we're going to have to make a decision quickly. It's losing connective tissue all over the ground and its heart rate is rising but its respiration is decreasing. I know enough from the "Human First Aid" lecture Ratchet gave us that this is not good."

"I thought you slept through that." Sunstreaker replied a little surprised that for once in their lives Sides had not taken the lazy route, or at least searched the internet or played games the whole time, "But what are we going to do?"

"We'll have to call …. We're going to have to call Ratchet."

"What? Slag no! He'll slagging kill us! Then when he's done Prowl will kill us and then our afts will be handed to Optimus and he'll kill us too! No slagging way! I vote we leave this human here. It's just one human, there are six billion other squishy fleshlings on this dirt ball. Who will miss one?"

Sideswipe was surprised for a moment. He still did not realize how Decepticon-like Sunstreaker could be. His brother was cold, but not _that_ cold. "We can't just leave it here. It will die."

Sideswipe grabbed his brother's shoulders and shook them as if he was trying to shake those 'con-like thoughts out of his brother's CPU. At the same time he sent relaxed feeling though their twin bond as his brother's panic threatened to consume them both.

"Calm the slag down, Sunny. You're talking like a slagging Con. The worst we'll get is brig time. And it will be even worse for us if we leave it here. We have to call Ratchet."

Sunny glanced down at the bleeding human at his feet and sighed, _another annoying human habit I've picked up._ he thought, _And speaking of stupid humans, this running target's condition is getting worse._ "Alright, call Ratchet. But make it fast, I don't think it will last much longer."

" _Ratchet? Are you there?"_ Sideswipe sent to Ratchet, trying to not sound panicked

" _Primus curse you slagger! What could you possibly need at this time? Someone better be dying for you to wake me up! Or so help me I'll melt you two down for scrap metal!"_

Sideswipe hesitated and glanced to his brother, maybe they wouldn't make it out online, " _Uhh... Ratchet, we've kind of got a problem here."_

" _Where the slag are you? I can't detect either of you on the base."_

" _We're in the city… umm… we kind of hit … a human."_

***************************************aw shoot!**************************************

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stood in Optimus' office and looked at their feet like ashamed sparklings, waiting for their death sentence.

:Shit bro, we really screwed up this time.: Sideswipe sent to his brother.

Sunstreaker only looked at his brother and then went back to glaring at his feet. _This is all the stupid human's fault. If it hadn't run out into the street like a stupid animal with a death wish in the middle of the night they wouldn't be in this mess._ The more Sunny thought about the human the more he started to hate the little, organic, being.

Prowl was standing behind the desk glaring at the twins, he was waiting for Optimus Prime and Ratchet to come back before they decided what to do about the twins.

With a hiss the door slip open and a very angry Optimus Prime and an even more pissed off Ratchet walked in, taking their places next to Prowl behind the large desk. The twins almost flinched when Optimus placed his hands on the desk, rather forcefully.

:How are we going to get out of this?: Sunstreaker said concerned with saving his own aft.

Before Sideswipe could reply, Optimus spoke, his fury was almost tangible, "You two are lucky that human did not die. Fortunately for you, Ratchet says she is stable and will survive."

_Primus, I've never heard him this mad before._ Sideswipe thought and for a moment he actually wondered, from a darker part of his CPU, if Sunstreaker would have been offlined if the human had offlined.

"What exactly were you two doing out there that late at night anyways?" Prowl asked, knowing the answer but wanting to hear them confess anyways.

Sides glanced to his twin who had put on a hard outer shell. He knew he would have to answer.

"Racing…" he said in a barely audible voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." Prowl said, he wanted to hear their confession reverberate throughout the room.

"I said we were racing each other." Sideswipe said lifting his head to look each mech in the optic. Sunstreaker lifted his head as well, looking more defiant rather than remorseful.

"Which one of you actually hit the human?" Optimus asked.

"I did." Sunstreaker replied still looking at his commanding officers without remorse. His initial panic had disappeared shortly after they had called Ratchet, and now he felt nothing for the human but hate. He knew it was the stupid fleshlings fault. The only reason he had admitted to hitting the human was because the brothers had agreed that honesty was the best policy to save their afts.

Optimus looked at Prowl and Ratchet. The twins knew they were talking amongst themselves with their comm. links. After a few moments of awkward silence Optimus spoke out. "Sideswipe, you have brig time. Now go wait out in the hall for your brother."

Sideswipe opened his mouth to protest but the dangerous look Prowl gave silenced him. He glowered and trudged out of the office to wait behind the, unfortunately, sound proof and door.

"I take it I'm not getting brig time." Sunstreaker said coldly.

"No." Optimus said, the anger in his voice made Sunny's spark quake in fear, but not enough to make him hate the human any less or back down; he was blameless, "We feel that you don't show enough concern for human life. You need to learn to work around the humans without killing them. The whole reason Prowl instated the rule was for human safety. This is their world and we have to understand that they are made of soft tissues, not metal. They aren't as durable as us Cybertronians. You have to learn to respect human life. Your punishment is to become the human's guardian. You are to spend most of every Earth day with her until she heals and can return home."

"How long will that take?" Sunstreaker asked, his hands becoming tight fists to contain his rage.

"However long it takes her bones to heal," Ratchet spoke up. "For her injuries it can take up to three earth months. You're lucky she only damaged her hip and you didn't snap her spine, leaving her paralyzed."

Ratchet was trying to guilt Sunstreaker into feeling remorseful, but the yellow mech did not show any concern for the human. He was not surprised to see rage burning behind the mech's optics, this was Sunstreaker after all.

"But what about her family unit? Surely there will be humans that will look for her when they realize she is missing." Sunny said in a last ditch attempt to get out of his sentence early.

"We will take care of the humans." Prowl stated simply his door wings twitching with the thought of all the work that would be piled onto his desk to cover that.

Sunstreaker couldn't believe it. He was stuck taking care of some _human_. He would rather have brig time then have to spend time with one of the weak, fleshy, oily, squishy, disgusting things. Sure, he did not mind spending time with Sam and Mikaela, but they had been around the Cybertronians for years. This new human would just be a pain in his aft.

"Come on Sunstreaker." Ratchet said grabbing the younger mech's arm rather painfully. "You have a human to babysit in my med bay." He pulled Sunny out of the office and Prowl followed, taking hold of Sideswipe and leading him to the brig like a dog.

Sunny quickly told his brother what his fate was over their comm. link before he was pulled off to the med bay. "She is over there on the smallest berth behind those screens. She's sleeping right now, but while she is awake you will watch her every move, make sure she is comfortable and not in pain, and basically do whatever she needs or wants you to do."

"So I'm to become its slave?" Sunstreaker growled with contempt.

"No. You'll be _her_ caretaker and guardian. Kind of like Bumblebee is with Sam and Mikaela."

"Great. I'm a human baby-sitter."

"Exactly." Ratchet replied. He wondered how long it would take Sunstreaker to warm up to the human, if he ever did.

Sunstreaker looked at the tiny fleshling lying on the berth with disgust. It may have been the smallest, but she hardly took up any space. Sunny could have sat down on it and she would have had plenty of space. He couldn't help be feel a little pity stirring in his spark for the human. He thought about how awful it must be to be human; all squishy, weak, practically helpless. He knew sparklings were better equipped for survival than humans, their dependency on oxygen and heat was a major handicap. He then realized how ugly the humans really were, the layer of dead cells that coated their body and were constantly shedding off was ugly and boring. Overall humans were disgusting. In the back of his processor a quote from some human actor played through his head "I pity the fool." Sunny had to admit, humans could be entertaining to watch; they did some stupid things.

"While she is sleeping," Ratchet continued "You are to educate yourself on humans. I have a plethora of files for you to read over. Yes read. Not download to memory and store for later, but actually read. Word for word."

Ratchet walked away from Sunstreaker and the yellow twin muttered a fluent stream of cybertronian and earth curses. He flinched when he felt a wrench hit the back of his head.

"I won't take any attitude either. This is your punishment and if I feel you are neglecting your duties we might volunteer you for Ironhide's target practice instead." Ratchet said as he walked back to Sunstreaker and handed him a datapad. "Better start reading, Speer Racer." The medic growled and he walked away.

******************************************gasp!**************************************


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter two. I don't have much to say about it. However I have a few comments to make before I leave you to read and enjoy.
> 
> 1\. I know that the Autobots are supposed to be at Diego Garcia, but for the sake of the story they have built a base somewhere in the USA. Hope you can understand. I meant to say this in my chapter 1 comments and I forgot.
> 
> 2\. This is about reviews. I know everyone loves to get reviews. But, for me, when I get a review I feel more motivated to work on a story and write. I know my story gets a lot of views, but when over 100 people hit the first chapter in the first few days and I only I get two reviews it's a little depressing. Thank you the two of you who reviewed. I really am glad you liked the story so much. What about everyone else? did you love it? hate it? did I do something horribly wrong? Please leave a review so I can be a better writer, I can take constructive criticism. I have the next two chapters written, but I won't post chapter three unless I get at least 5 reviews. That's all I ask for is five little reviews on chapter two. Thank you.
> 
> -Becks
> 
> Now as a test to see if anyone even bothered to read my Author's comments: Tell me your favorite flavor of pie at the end of your review.

**Chapter 2**

At first all Ayla felt was pain. In fact, it was excruciating pain. _God, what hit me?_ she thought bitterly as she tried to ignore the pain that pulsed through her body. She struggled to open her eyes to see how badly she was hurt this time.

She could barely open her eyes, one was swollen shut, but she could tell it was dark. Ayla twisted to see where she was but she stopped and clutched her side as excruciating pain shot through her.

Sunstreaker looked to the human sharply as she cried out. _Ratchet said she wasn't supposed to be awake until the morning._ He thought as he set his datapad aside. He scanned the human quickly. She seemed fine, given the circumstances, but she had fluid leaking out of her eyes. _Oh gross, leaking a salt solution out of its optics_ was Sunny's initial thought.

"Ratchet?" Sunny called out, hoping the CMO was still in med bay.

"What?" Ratchet said walking over to the berth.

"It's waking up."

" _She_ is waking up. This is a human femme Sunstreaker."

"Whatever. You said it wasn't supposed to wake up until the morning."

Ratchet reached over and smacked Sunny "Then we'll give her more sedatives." He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a modified syringe. He placed it in Sunny's hand "Insert the needle into the IV tube and inject the medicine."

"Can't you do it?" Sunny complained.

"No. This is your punishment. You have to learn to take care of her."

Sunny glared and gingerly took the small syringe. He leaned in close and adjusted his optics to see the tiny tube attached to the girl's hand and clumsily injected the sedatives. He handed the empty syringe back to Ratchet with a hiss of contempt. The human medicine left a strange, lingering sensation in his olfactory sensors.

"Next time she needs more sedatives get it yourself. The syringes have human doses of sedatives. There is the same amount of the modified ones for mech hands and the small ones for human medics to use. Put the empty syringe in the red, biohazard bucket." Ratchet pointed to the cabinet he was just at "Don't give her an over dose." He said turning to Sunny and growling threateningly. "If she wakes up again tonight then she can have _one_ more dose. If she still has problems before morning then get me." He turned and walked away. "You can keep reading or recharge here, but don't leave her bedside." He walked into his quarters which were directly connected to med bay.

Sunstreaker leaned against the wall and sighed. He glared at the human lying on the berth. _At least it stopped leaking._ He watched the unconscious human for a few minutes before he slid down to the floor, leaned his head back, and shut off his optics to try and recharge.

**************************************oopsie-daisy*************************************

The first thing Ayla was aware of was numbness when her cloudy thoughts started to solidify as her dreams were chased away by reality. Blissful numbness. She could not quite place her finger on why this numbness was bliss, but she did not try and think too hard about it. She felt too good to worry. She was warm and comfortable on a soft mattress, nothing hurt, and she felt incredibly rested. _They must still be out from last night._ She thought smiling in her mind _Or else they'd have woken me up._ Ayla thought about getting up for a moment, but she was so comfortable she decided to lie in as long as possible. She let her thoughts wander and get fuzzy again. Unfortunately it did not last. Alya heard a door slam and heavy footsteps. _Shit, I gotta get up now._ She thought begrudgingly as she tried to wake herself up again. Her thoughts started to clear slowly as she struggled into consciousness. She listened for the heavy footfalls to approach her room and for her door to burst open, but to her surprise they seemed to head away, towards her father's room.

_This isn't right, he_ always _checks on me._ Ayla thought as she struggled to wake up even more. _There must be someone in the house!_ She gasped and her eyes shot open, well one eye shot open. Ayla noticed with dismay that one eye was swollen shut.

"Easy now. You're coming off some pretty strong sedatives. Take things slowly." A voice spoke to her soothingly.

Alya tried to sit up, but a gentle hand pushed her back. "Just relax a minute. You can sit up in just a second. You broke some ribs and we want to make sure you won't get hurt or move them by sitting up too fast."

Ayla automatically relaxed as the soothing voice spoke to her. _Broken ribs ... What happened?_ She thought confused. She couldn't remember anything from the time after she went to bed; apparently she did not sleep the whole night through like she thought she had.

"Alright, now we're going to sit you up nice and easy, just go as fast as you feel you need to." Gentle hands supported Ayla as she slowly raised herself into a sitting position. She heard the whirring of machinery as her bed rose up behind her to support her back. She had closed her eyes in a grimace as pain shot through her torso, but she kept going, curious to see where she was.

"Alright, did that hurt too much?" The voice asked, concerned. Ayla opened her eye and turned to face the voice. The voice belonged to a middle aged man, he had short cropped hair that was once black but was starting to be peppered with gray. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and around his arm was a band with a red cross and the word "medic" on it.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Fine. I guess." Ayla replied slowly.

"No pain?" he asked.

"Well, just a little." Ayla lied. She wanted to find out what was going on before anything else happened; she could deal with the pain.

"Well, I'll get you some more pain killers and something for your eye to take the swelling down." He said as he stood up "Just sit still for a minute, I'll be right back."

Ayla followed him with her eyes as he walked across the room, no this wasn't a room. She slowly looked around with wide eye and took in her surroundings. She was on some platform in a huge room. The room had the sterile feel of a hospital, but it looked unlike any hospital she had ever seen. Everything was metal and huge. Even the bed she was in was huge. It was one of the beds that could change positions and she was propped against a crisp, white pillow on clean white sheets. The bed was normal sized, but it rested directly on the platform. There was a good five feet of space on either side of her and at least fifteen feet to the end of the platform where the medic had walked to and climbed down. A large divider shielded Ayla's bed from the rest of the room, but she assumed it was just as massive and strange as her surroundings. She could hear low voices and someone was moving around, but she could not see anything around the divider.

_This is so weird._ _I feel like I'm in some … sci-fi, futuristic, whatever medical bay._ She quickly went to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming and stopped when she saw her body. Her torso was completely wrapped up in tape, gauze, and bandages. Her right arm was casted up past her elbow. Her entire right leg was casted too and her hips were covered in gauze as well. Her entire right side of her body seemed to be covered in wrappings and bandages. She even felt some gauze on her forehead; she gingerly reached up to touch it with her un-bandaged hand.

Ayla stared at the medic as he came up to the bed on a little lift and stepped off like it was an everyday occurrence. He walked back to Ayla and crouched down smiling. He set down a syringe next to him on the platform and opened a little jar of some salve. "This will help with the swelling around you eye, it should be back to normal size in a day or so." He said as he gently rubbed the cream around Ayla's swollen eye.

"Wha-? Ho-? Wh-? What?" Ayla stuttered, she took a deep breath "What happened to me? How did I get here? Where am I? And who are you?" she said feeling a little panicky. Her panic was clearly seeping into her shaking voice.

"Just calm down. I'm Doctor Alan Hill. Just call me Alan or Doc or even 'Hey you!' Whatever floats your boat. I'm not too picky." He shrugged and chuckled a little "I helped save your life. You were hit by a car the other night and were brought here for medical attention. Don't worry you've received the best care around, even if the setting seems a little strange." He smiled at the last part and put the lid on the jar and picked up the syringe. He stood up and injected the medicine into Ayla's IV. "The other doctors and I agree that you need more rest. This is just a light sedative and will only knock you out for a few hours. It will also kill the pain. I promise when you wake up again there will be people here to explain everything to you. Now you need to rest."

"But!" Ayla protested, but she already felt weak and drowsy. Quickly her eyes felt heavy and she closed them. Soon she was sleeping peacefully.

*************************************ka-boom!****************************************

Sunny took a moment from his reading to look at the human on the berth. It was starting to shift in its sleep. Sunny was sure the squishy would wake up soon.

He set his datapad on human sleep aside. He had to admit their dreams interested him. And sleep was better than the last two datapads Ratchet made him read. One was on the human digestive system and excretory system. He shuddered on how disgusting it was that the human body created so much waste. The other was about the human reproductive cycle. Sunny had read more about their femmes' "cycles" than he ever wanted to read, or hear about again. Then he had to read about childbirth, he did not even want to process about it.

The humans had just reached a new level of revolting for him. Unfortunately, now he understood why he always detected blood on Mikaela for about a week every month. He shuddered and pushed those revolting thoughts to the back of his CPU.

He looked down to the sleeping human _Stupid human. This is all its fault that it's in this situation and I am too._ He glanced to his armor which to his dismay had become dull over the past few days. He had been in med bay almost constantly except when Ratchet gave him time off to grab some energon. He had not been able to wash or even repair the dent the human put in his bumper; which gave Sunny a whole new reason to hate the human.

He heard the med bay door slide open and light mech footsteps echoed off of the walls. Sunny heard smaller human steps patter along too.

"Hey, Sunstreaker." Bumblebee said walking up next to the other yellow mech. Sam and Mikaela were following around his feet. "Optimus and Ratchet said I needed to talk to you about humans before you interact with yours."

Sunny glared at the younger yellow mech and did not answer.

"That and they figure it will be easier if Sam and Mikaela ease the girl into the situation rather than throwing her in head first."

Sunny just glared. First he gets stuck with the disgusting human; then he has to be lectured by Bumblebee. _Perfect!_ He thought venomously.

Bee sighed and looked over his shoulder to Ratchet, who was busy on the other side of med bay. "Optimus' orders Sunstreaker. I'm not too thrilled about this either. I'll get you some energon on me."

Sunny growled and looked over Bee's shoulders to Ratchet. The medic's stare sent the mech an indistinguishable message.

With a sigh he reluctantly pulled himself up to his feet "Let's get this over with." he growled.

Bee quickly stooped over and gave Sam and Mikaela a boost up to the berth before he followed Sunny out of med bay.

As they walked out of the door Sunny shot Ratchet a look that would send any lesser mech into a state of panic. Bumblebee shot Ratchet a pleading look and then reluctantly followed Sunstreaker.

Ratchet walked over to the berth and picked up Sunny's discarded datapad. "I expect she'll be awake in a few minutes. You guys need to explain to her what exactly is going on and try and explain Autobots. Just try and get her up to date on things."

"You got it, Ratchet." Mikaela said waving to the mech.

"She should be comfortable in her upright position, just move her carefully if she does want to move. Do you want me to send for Dr. Hill? He could be here in a few minutes."

"I think we'll be fine." Mikaela said. She knew the medic would be constantly monitoring the girl anyway and if something was off he would send for Dr. Hill or take care of the girl on his own. She smiled up to the old mech confidently and Ratchet walked behind the dividing screens, already scanning the girl.

Mikaela felt Sam's arm snake around her waist, pulling her closer as both humans turned to study the girl. She was younger than them by a few years Mikaela guessed. The girl's thick, curly, black hair was about shoulder length. Mikaela guessed she could have been pretty; if she did not had a swollen, purple, bruised eye. She also noted how petite the girl was. Mikaela guessed she was only an inch or two over five foot. The larger and usual mattress she was laying on only made her seem more dwarfed.

She turned to look at Sam and he looked at her and they knew they were making the same observations about the girl and they both had the same questions. Wordlessly Mikaela pulled Sam down to sit by the girl and they waited for her to leave dreamland.

************************************pickles!*******************************************

Ayla crawled out of dreamland a little faster than earlier. She slowly remembered what she had seen before and Doctor What's-his-face, the rest was still foggy. She felt fine, but something seemed off. Ayla went to stretch and stopped when she noted she couldn't move her right arm, or her right leg. She started to panic until she remembered: _car crash_.

Hey eye flew open again and she blinked in the bright light. Ayla turned her head to see if the doctor was there again, but she did not see a middle aged doctor, but two people. They were maybe a few years older than her. There was a boy and a girl. The boy had short cut brown hair and was wearing a light blue t-shirt and jeans. The girl had long dark hair and was wearing peach colored tank top under a jacket and jeans.

"You're not Doctor What's-his-face …" She said concerned.

The girl smiled "No, we're not Doctor Hill. I'm Mikaela and this is Sam." She gestured to the boy who smiled to Ayla kindly.

"Ayla." She replied quietly. She went to prop herself up on her elbows so she could see Sam and Mikaela better.

"Let us help you adjust so you don't hurt anything." Sam said reaching over to move the pillow supporting Ayla's head so she could see easier.

Once she was settled Ayla noticed an ache beginning to creep into her limbs. She rubbed her casted arm uncomfortably, frowning from the intense pain building up in her body.

"Here." Mikaela said popping a bottle of pills open and shaking two out. She grabbed a cup of water next too Ayla's bed and handed them to her.

Ayla looked to the pills suspiciously; she was tired of getting knocked out every time she woke up. She wanted some answers, damn it. "What are these?"

"It's just Vicodin," Sam said quickly "Don't worry; we want you to be awake now. The whole reason we're here is to answer your questions."

Ayla reluctantly look the pills into her hand and popped them into her mouth. She swallowed them in a swig of water. Ayla then realized how dry her mouth was and how thirsty she was. Her entire body seemed to long for more of the cool, refreshing water. She drained the cup and handed it back. Mikaela filled it up again and Ayla drained it, more slowly.

"Thank you." She said handing it back.

Mikaela set the cup down. The three sat in silence for a while. Ayla wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. Mikaela was waiting for Ayla to start asking questions. Sam was being Sam; he was thinking about something else and it had distracted him for a moment.

"So…" Sam spoke up after bringing his attention back to the matter at hand, breaking the awkward silence "I suppose you have a lot of questions. Like: How did you get here? Where are you? How badly were you hurt?"

Ayla nodded quietly; in her mind she was screaming "YES YES! Tell me everything I'm so confused!"

"Well, last Saturday night you were hit by a car traveling at high speeds, racing through your neighborhood. The racer says you ran out in front of him and he did not have enough time to stop or swerve to miss you. He slammed on his brakes and tried to avoid you, unfortunately, he didn't."

Ayla nodded shocked, she didn't remember any of this happening. The last thing she could remember, aside from Doctor Hill earlier, was going to bed on Saturday night.

"You're injuries were pretty bad." Mikaela continued the story taking over for Sam "Basically everything on your right side was damaged in some way. Your right arm is broken; a few of your ribs were cracked too. Your hip and femur were severely damaged and you had to undergo emergency surgery to repair the bones and a few of your really important blood vessels. And you got a pretty nasty concussion. It's understandable the doctors kept you under for a few days to help your body recover a little."

Ayla nodded as she felt the pain echo dully in each of her injuries _That Vicodin is really working_ she thought. She glanced down to her fully casted leg and a panicked thought flashed across her mind "Will I be able to walk and use my leg again?"

"Of course." Mikaela smiled "You received the best medical attention you could get here and with therapy you will have full use of your leg again."

Ayla breathed a sigh of relief; she could not stand the thought of being wheelchair bound for the rest of her life, being so helpless and vulnerable. It made her shudder.

"What's your last name, Ayla? You look vaguely familiar, like I went to school with your older sister or something." Mikaela asked suddenly.

"Catagiry. It's French … I think. I don't know. We never tracked out heritage much, but everyone thinks it's French. And you wouldn't have gone to school with a sibling of mine. My older brother is thirty, and you two don't look nearly as old as him."

"Hmm … I guess that's true. Sam and I are only twenty-one."

Ayla nodded and after a moment "So are you guys like … what? Brother and sister? Cousins? Friends? Boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Sam smiled and hugged Mikaela close "Mikaela's my girlfriend and my best friend." His voice echoed with love and his eyes shone with devotion.

"You sap!" Mikaela said as she gently pushed him away playfully. Ayla heard the same love in her voice and saw it in her eyes like she did in Sam's. She could tell that these two were soul mates.

"So … umm … where exactly am I? How did I get here?" Ayla asked finally getting to the question that was eating away in her mind. "I've been to a hospital before, and this is not a hospital. Am I in like, some government lab or something for experimentation?"

"Ahhh…" Sam scratched his head uncomfortably "Not exactly … but you're correct that this isn't a normal hospital. It is a medical facility though."

"This may be a little hard to believe, Ayla, but please try and accept what we're saying as true until we can show you some proof." Mikaela said in all seriousness.

"Do you remember a few years ago, there was that big mess in Egypt that was all over the news; destroyed an ancient pyramid and what not?"

"Yeah, all the news stations said it was some secret weapon that malfunctioned, or something." She tried to remember what else she had heard from the news casts but her memories of that week were a little fuzzy. There was one thing that really stuck in her mind though.

"Okay. Well ... Do you also remember the … announcement, for lack of a better term, that was broadcasted before the pyramid?"

Ayla snorted a little "Yeah. Biggest hoax ever. Anyone could clearly see it was some special effects artist with too much time on their hands having a good laugh teaming up with his hacker buddy to scare the world stiff. I've seen better green screen effects in the movies." She chuckled but stopped quickly as her ribs protested.

Sam took a deep breath and looked to Mikaela who looked to Ayla "It wasn't fake. The Fallen was a real, live, alien robot."

Ayla smiled and looked between Mikaela and Sam and looked for a flaw in their masks. They had to be kidding, aliens didn't exist, and if they did why would they bother coming to Earth? Sam's and Mikaela's faces were set dead serious. "Alright, you guys have to have me on some really good pain meds if you expect me to believe that 'Fallen message' was real. When is some guy in a bad suit going to jump out and say "Smile! You're on Candid Camera!" She laughed a little again.

Sam and Mikaela looked at each other, most people they met were ready to jump to accepting that the Fallen message had been true and it was all a cover up and aliens did exist. They rarely met some as skeptical as Ayla.

Ayla's smile faltered "You guys are … serious?" She couldn't bring herself to believe giant alien robots existed. They were things of sci-fi novels, video games, and cartoon shows. Creations of fiction. They couldn't possibly exist.

"We are serious as we can be, Ayla." Sam said levelly "We've been with them for almost five years now."

Ayla shook her head and looked down "I'm sorry. I want to believe you, but I'm just finding it hard to believe this without any proof. Alien robots are things of cartoons and sci-fi novels."

Mikaela smiled "I know. We found it hard to believe too. Dumb-dumb here," she pointed to Sam with her thumb her partner grinned sheepishly "Thought Bee was Japanese at first. But we can actually show you proof. Hey, Ratchet?" Mikaela called out barely raising her voice.

She knew the CMO had heard every word of their conversation and was waiting to be called upon. She also assumed he was constantly scanning Ayla for any signs of stress that would be too much for her in her condition. She rolled her eyes when Ratchet delayed in starting to walk making his steps get louder and louder as they approached to make it seem as if he had not been listening and hovering right near the divider.

Ayla couldn't help but stare at what came around the divider screen. It was a giant robot. She stared open mouthed at the robot as it walked closer. She could not help but feel alarmed as it approached her quickly covering the twenty feet or so in a couple steps.

Ratchet detected the girl's increased heart rate and stopped "Please don't be alarmed. I won't hurt you." he said kindly, spreading his hands out and holding them up in a universal sign of amity. He heard the girl take deep breaths to try and calm herself down.

"S-so you're real?" she sputtered out gazing up at the tall, yellow-green armored robot.

The mech nodded "I'm as real as you are, and Sam and Mikaela. My name is Ratchet. I am the Chief Medical Officer for the Autobots."

Ayla nodded mutely trying to take in every detail of the towering robot. She assumed he was maybe fifteen or twenty feet tall. His hands were enormous, he could have easily held her in his cupped hands, but despite their massive size, his hands looked extremely dexterous all the same. He had what looked to be the equivalent of a rather prominent nose and bright, electric blue eyes; _well they look like eyes at least._ Ayla thought.

"So this really isn't part of some odd, drug induced dream?" She said in a last ditch attempt to keep grasp of some of the truths she had thought she had known before then.

"I'm afraid it's not. This is all real." Ratchet said.

Ayla stared up at Ratchet, a million questions running through her head but one kept jumping to the front and bothering her.

"So you're a robot … "she began, uncertain of how to word her question without offending the giant "Are you … like … ?" she searched for the proper word. She almost wanted to say 'alive' but she knew it was the wrong word.

Ratchet knew what she was about to ask, that question being the first or second question everyone asked when they first met the Autobots "Yes, I am a sentient being, just like you. I have what you would consider a soul and morals, I can tell right from wrong. I can think on my own and make my own decisions."

"Okay then. "Ayla nodded automatically in relief. She was glad Ratchet answered the awkward question for her. Now more questions buzzed around her head and she was itching to ask them. Her natural curiosity was surfacing now that she had recovered from the first initial shock.

"This is insane." She said laughing with the absurdity of the whole situation "I can't believe this is all real! It's amazing." Ayla said out loud to no one in particular.

Sam and Mikaela laughed along with her. Ratchet relaxed a little, now that Ayla had calmed down he was sure she would not faint or seize from the shock. However he kept scanning her for any signs that her body was not healing well or adapting properly.

"Oh my gosh. I have so many questions." Ayla said after she stopped laughing "I don't even know where to start."

"Why don't we start from the beginning?" Sam suggested looking up to Ratchet who nodded.

"Just give me a second." He said. He walked around the divider and returned a moment later with a massive chair. "Alright, where should I begin?" he said settling down on the giant chair.

"Better start on Cybertron and move on to Mission City and then Egypt and so on." Sam said he turned to Ayla "I know it's going to be a lot to take in at first, but try and wait until he's done before you ask questions. Sometimes you will find the answers later. And Ratchet doesn't particularly like being interrupted."

Ayla nodded and turned to stare back up at Ratchet.

Ratchet started talking trying to sort through the facts to get the most important information out first. "So, Cybertron is …"

************************************cookies!******************************************


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being a while between updates, I have been ridiculously busy graduating, working, coaching, blah blah blah all excuses for me being lazy mostly. ^_^'
> 
> Well, here we have Chapter 3. I don't have much to say about it. Just read it and enjoy please.
> 
> Thank you tons Vivienne Grainger for being my grammar checker and PAW07 for making sure I'm keeping everyone in character. Without you guys this story would be crap.
> 
> -Becks
> 
> PS. This time I will ask nicely, pretty please can I have 5 reviews on this chapter? If you do I will work extra hard to get chapter 4 up in a timely manner (like within a week)

**Chapter 3**

An hour later Ayla was left in a wide-eyed silence. Her mind was buzzing with everything she had learned from Ratchet: Cybertron, the Autobots and the Decepticons, Mission City, and Egypt. It was all mixing together in her head like a churning soup of information. She was finding it hard to organize any of her thoughts so she just stared at the medic with wide, blank eyes.

Sam and Mikaela shared a look and suppressed shared grins. Nearly everyone had the same reaction after they got through Ratchet's spiel. They looked up to the medic who returned their glances and almost smiled, but his cranky medic visage remained dominant.

"Don't worry if you get confused and make some mistakes in the first few days. It's a lot of information for a human to process, especially one who has been on heavy pain medications."

Ayla blinked once slowly and broke out of her confused trance. Suddenly one unanswered question surfaced in her churning mind. "So," her lips started to slowly form words, "you said I was hit by a car. But how did I get here and not in a normal, human hospital?"

Ratchet hesitated and thought for a moment before he answered. It was obvious the girl was not about to freak out over the whole "alien robots on Earth" deal; she was surprisingly calm. He did not want the calm broken by telling her it was an _Autobot_ that hit her. He was worried it would destroy her new born trust. However, he did not want to blatantly lie to her and have her find out the truth later which would shatter an even stronger trust.

"You were actually hit by an Autobot. He was doing some forbidden racing and you ran out in front of him before he could detect you and stop." Ratchet said praying she did not ask which mech actually hit her.

Ayla's eyes widened. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought she remembered bright lights approaching her and the sound of brakes screeching, but she might have been imagining it.

"I see. He must have been going pretty fast," she said quietly, wondering how everything would be different for her and where she would be at the moment if she had left a minute earlier or later. "It would be my luck to have such awful timing as to run out while a car is speeding past," she said with a forced laugh. She shook her head and turned her mind to a more pleasant topic, "When can I meet some other Autobots?"

Ratchet was relieved she did not press the subject further, but he was wary of her sudden change of subject. He made a mental note to ask her later and not press her too far right now. With a slight frown, he stated "Maybe later we can arrange a way for you to get out. Or we can see if any will be able to come and see you here. You need to rest some more." He scanned her vitals again for any changes.

Ayla frowned, her pride stinging. She couldn't believe it. They were treating her like she was some poor, frail thing.

"I feel fine," she said quickly, reluctant to be left alone in her boredom, or worse given more drugs to put her back to sleep. She was curious to explore the rest of this world of the Autobots and humans. "Really, I'm not tired at all. Please don't make me go back to sleep so soon." She put the slightest edge of begging in her voice "I just woke up. There is so much more I want to see and learn about."

Ratchet thought for a moment. She did seem fine and moving her around a little wouldn't hurt her, it would help her acclimate to the situation better. And she did need to meet the other Autobots eventually. He knew she would tire quickly anyway.

"Alright fine. You can start meeting the other mechs. In fact …" he paused as his audio receptors picked up two sets of approaching footsteps "I know the two mechs you can meet first."

As if on cue Bumblebee and Sunstreaker walked into the med bay. Sunstreaker looked as disgruntled and surly as ever. Bumblebee looked uncomfortable to be in Sunny's presence. _So much for that idea._ He thought glumly _Sunny still thinks humans are squishy annoyances, lower than the dirt on his feet pads._

"Bumblebee. Sunstreaker. Come here. You need to meet someone." Ratchet's voice floated over the divider.

Bee instantly brightened; he was excited to meet this new, young human girl. He quickly walked around the divider. Sunny was less than pleased. _Great, now I have to interact with it. It was bad enough while it slept._ He glared daggers through the divider and followed Bumblebee more reluctantly.

Bee stopped as he came around the divider and shot Ratchet an uneasy glance. He transmitted how his chat with Sunstreaker went over his com. link before going to stand behind Sam and Mikaela.

"Ayla, this is Bumblebee," Sam said, standing up and gesturing to the mech behind him "He was my guardian when he first came to Earth and now he just hangs around by choice. He's one of my best buds." Sam patted the yellow arm affectionately. "Bee, this is Ayla."

"It's really nice to meecha'!" a perky, young, feminine voice said as Bee held out his hand.

"Uhh … it's nice to meet you too." Ayla said uncertainly taking one of the offered fingers in her free hand and shaking it. She glanced to Sam.

"Bee's vocal processors were damaged in battle before he came to Earth. Ratchet's fixed him since then, but he still likes to use Earth sound clips to communicate. It's more fun for him."

"Oh!" Ayla exclaimed in understanding as she studied the new mech. He was smaller than Ratchet, and seemed younger and bubblier than the medic. Something in his optics made him seem kinder and more understanding. There may have even been a hint of naivety that gave Ayla the impression he was still young. Ayla couldn't help but like the little, yellow mech.

While Ayla was being introduced to Bee, Sunny was sulking in the entrance to the little "room" that was blocked off by the dividers. As soon as he approached Ratchet turned to glare at him and sent him numerous threats including, but not limited to, disassembly and a change of paint color if he did not act civilly to Ayla. He vented reluctantly when all optics in the room turned to him. He stepped forward and stood by the berth and glared down at Ayla with his arms crossed.

"Ayla, this is Sunstreaker." Mikaela said, praying the mech would warm up to the girl quickly "He is your guardian, or more of the mech you talk to if you need anything. It's his job to take care of you."

Ayla looked up to the mech. Right off the bat she could not help but feel afraid of him. He was taller than Bee, but still shorter than Ratchet, but something about him made Ayla sure he would rather be anywhere else doing anything else. She looked him over and could not help but notice how clean and shiny his yellow armor was compared to Bee's and Ratchet's. She looked into his optics and saw nothing but cold contempt staring back at her. She suppressed a shiver but couldn't help but feel like the mech hated her for some reason. Sunstreaker scared her.

"Hi." Ayla said meekly.

"Hi." Sunstreaker replied coldly and mechanically.

Ayla noted with surprise that this was the first time she heard any of the Autobots talk like a robot. Ratchet's voice held emotion and Bee showed plenty of emotion through his radio talk. Sunstreaker just sounded like he was forcing himself to talk to her and he was doing it as reluctantly and stiffly as he could. Ayla was really unsure if she could deal with this cold, unfeeling mech. _His name really doesn't suit him at all._ She thought uncertainly.

She watched as everyone in the room turned to glare at Sunstreaker. The cold yellow mech was glaring back at Ratchet. Ayla was surprised to see that Ratchet had procured a large wrench out of nowhere and was holding it so Suntreaker could see it. Ayla couldn't hear anything, but she had a gut feeling they were having a heated conversation somehow.

"They're talking over their comm. units" Mikaela explained to a clearly confused Ayla.

Ayla nodded and continued to watch Ratchet and Sunstreaker. She was alarmed when Sunstreaker tensed and his hands clenched to tightly they shook. To her relief Sunstreaker relaxed his tight pose and his arms fell to his side. He glared back to Ratchet and then down to Ayla.

"Hi, I'm Sunstreaker," he said as if he was forcing himself to spit out the words. He held his hand out and Ayla gingerly shook one of his fingers. His fingers were surprisingly cold. Compared to Bee's, which had been a little warm; Sunstreaker's were chilling. A shiver ran up Ayla's spine and goose bumps covered whatever exposed skin she could see.

"Sunstreaker, come and talk to me." Ratchet said after Ayla pulled her hand away from the cold mech with a gasp that was inaudible to the humans, but clearly audible to the Autobots. "Bee you stay here. Ayla, we'll talk about taking you out to see the other Autobots after Sunstreaker and I have a little chat."

The two mechs walked away behind the divider. Ayla heard a door close with a hiss.

"Oh, I do not want to be Sunstreaker right now," Sam said quietly, only imagining what kind of "chat" Ratchet was having with the yellow mech.

"Ratchet wasn't very happy he refused to listen to me and went and washed instead." Bee said in a low, normal voice.

"So … Sunstreaker … is he always so…so…" Ayla began awkwardly. She didn't want to say anything offensive.

"Cold?" Mikaela filled in. "Yeah, he's been like that for longer than we've known him."

Ayla couldn't help but feel a little disheartened. "And I'm stuck with him?"

They all nodded.

"Can't I have someone nice, like you, Bumblebee?" Ayla asked grasping onto a small glimmer of hope.

"Unfortunately not." Bee replied normally "Sunstreaker's been assigned this task by Optimus Prime. Even he wouldn't process about disobeying Prime. Or else Ironhide will have a new target to practice on and we'll be short one valuable warrior in the war against the Decepticons."

"Oh" Ayla said her glimmer of hope going out like a candle in the wind. "I suppose that would be a bad thing, wouldn't it?"

A disheartened chorus of "yeah" answered her question.

A moment later Ratchet came back with a slightly more docile looking Sunstreaker following. Ayla couldn't help but notice that he seemed to have a dent in the armor around his head.

"You ready Ayla?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah!" she said, anxious to leave her small area and meet the rest of the Autobots.

"Well we're going to wait for a few minutes until Doctor Hill can get here and offer his help. We should be able to transfer you to a wheeled berth and be able to move you around. You'll only be out for a few minutes, meet one or two mechs, see if Prime is busy. We don't want you to push yourself too hard. You have plenty of time to meet everyone. In a few days if you are recovering well we can move you to your own room. You'll have more privacy there."

Ayla nodded "Awesome."

Everyone waited for a few minutes in awkward silence. Ayla continued to try and think everything over. _I hope all the Autubots aren't some shade of yellow._ she thought slightly alarmed as she looked between the three assembled mechs. She was afraid it would be hard to tell them all apart if they were all yellow. With a frown she tried to ignore the pain that was starting to shoot up her leg and the ache in her lower back. She was beginning to feel a migraine forming in the back of her head but she ignored it. She did not want Ratchet to say she could not see the other Autobots because she was feeling just a little off. She frowned as her heart started to speed up a little, but she brushed it off as being nervous to meet the other Autobots.

Ratchet noticed Ayla's slightly increased heart rate and shot her a look but his attention was drawn away by Alan's approaching. He was pushing a specialized gurney that could be adjusted to the right position for Ayla and raised and lowered so they did not have to risk lifting her too high.

Without waiting for an invitation Ratchet lifted the gurney and the doctor up to Ayla's berth.

"Hey there. Happy to see me again?" Alan said pantomiming tipping his hat to Ayla.

Ayla smiled "What's up, Doc?"

"Not much." The doctor smiled "Are you sure you're feeling up to getting out today? You've been through a lot already and your body does need to rest. If you aren't feeling up to it that's perfectly okay. The Autobots will still be here in a few days."

"I feel fine." Ayla lied, as her heart started racing. She could not understand why except for nerves, and she did not feel that nervous.

"Alrighty then. I guess if you feel up to it. Sam and Mikaela, help me. Ayla, we're going to lift you from your bed to the gurney, try to avoid moving too much. We won't drop you." the doctor smiled. Ayla smiled back trying to ignore her racing heart and splitting headache.

Ratchet was watching Ayla carefully monitoring her heart rate. It was abnormally fast, but she had assured she felt fine. However, he knew how easily it was for humans to lie when it came to pain and warning signs from their body. He watched as the humans positioned themselves around Ayla and prepared to lift her.

"On three. One … two … three."

In an instant everything changed.

Ratchet detected a sudden drop in heart rate from racing to resting. Ayla's blood pressure plummeted almost immediately.

Ayla felt her racing heart suddenly drop to almost nothing. Her vision started going black around the edges. She was startled and tried to call out for help, but her tongue refused to work. With a soft moan she fell forwards as the blackness overtook her consciousness.

**************************************frozen grapes************************************

Ayla's next conscious thought was _Goddamn, I've got an awful migraine!_ She opened her eyes and closed them instantly against the blinding light. She covered her eyes with her un-casted hand and moaned softly from the splitting pain shooting through her head.

"Is the light too bright?" she heard a voice say a little too loudly.

She saw the light's intensity dim behind her eye lids and dared to open her eyes again. To her relief the light was at a tolerable level and she could make out the blurry face of Dr. Hill a few feet from her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Killer migraine. Dead tired," Ayla muttered "Don't talk so loud."

Alan breathed out a laugh. "Sorry," he said in a lowered voice.

"What happened?" Ayla asked, wincing from the pain shooting through her brain, but curious enough to ignore it for a little bit.

"Your heart started racing, your body over-compensated and your heart rate dropped too rapidly, your blood pressure plummeted and you passed out."

"Why?"

"We're not sure. It may have been a side effect of your medication. Or a reaction to all the trauma you've been through lately."

"Oh…"

"Ratchet and I decided you're going to wait a few days until we try and take you out of med bay. See if the medicine keeps affecting you like it did. That, and Wheeljack is making a special chair for you to use that will support your leg and hip so you don't put too much pressure on them and they can heal properly."

Ayla had to think for a moment to remember which Autobot Wheeljack was and any stories she was told about him. Her eyes widened in alarm, "It won't blow up on me, will it?"

The doctor laughed, "No, he's made things like this before and he is under strict orders to keep it as designed and not modify it with any untested designs. You'll be perfectly safe."

Ayla nodded and laid her head back against the incredibly soft pillows. She felt her eyelids grow heavy and they became harder to keep open.

"You alright, Ayla?" Alan asked.

"I'm just really, really tired…" she barely got out before she yawned.

"Then you can sleep and we'll talk later. Oh, I almost forgot, I have more salve for your eye. I'm going to put it on your eye." Ayla flinched as she felt the cool paste smear over her closed eye, but she was too tired to really worry about it.

"Sunstreaker is here, so if you need anything just ask him." Alan said after he finished putting the salve around Ayla's eye. "He _will_ help you." he said addressing the sullen mech more than the sleepy patient.

Sunstreaked growled in response.

Ayla was too sleepy to talk, she managed to nod her head slightly and hum a little before she was out.

Dr. Hill stood up and turned to face the yellow mech standing in the corner. He had his arms crossed across his chest and was leaning against the wall. Alan could tell he would rather be anywhere than here.

"You _will_ help her if she needs anything," Alan said pointing to Ayla.

"Yes," The mech replied stiffly.

"If you don't Ratchet will take care if you."

"I think I got that message pounded into my head." Sunny said tapping the dent in his head armor. "As much as I do not want to do this, I will take care of the girl."

"Good." Alan walked over to the little lift at the end of the berth and took himself down. He got to the space between the dividers and turned back to Sunstreaker "You could at least try to be somewhat nice to her. It is your fault she's here in the first place. Oh, and Ratchet left some more datapads out here for you." He motioned over his shoulder.

Sunny scowled at the human. The doctor shrugged and left.

Sunny turned and faced Ayla. _Stupid, fragile human. My fault she's here. Ha! This is entirely her fault._

_*************************************nap time!****************************************_

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter 4. After a bit of a long wait. Sorry about that. School started and we all know how that goes.
> 
> Not much to say about the chapter really. Though I do have some questions for you readers.
> 
> What do you think about Ayla? Do you like her? Hate her?(if you don't like her that's alright with me) Do you think she's really Mary-Sue-ish and just boring? What?
> 
> Would you rather I did more frequent, shorter, chapters? Or less frequent, about this length or longer, chapters? I would like for you to tell me please it will determine how often you guys get updates.
> 
> Thanks a bunch to Vivienne Grainger and PAW07 for being my betas! Without you guys my writing would be so full of stupid errors I wouldn't even want to read it. Thanks for putting up with it. If I could give you guys cookies I totally would.
> 
> I do not own Transformers, I wish I did but I don't.
> 
> As always Read, Review and Enjoy!
> 
> -Becks
> 
> PS- if you guys want a light, kinda fluffy, fic you should check out my "Seymour" story. It takes place in this story universe. And it had DINOBOTS! which makes it full of win right off the bat. Check it out if you feel so compelled.

"Ayla?" Mikaela called out knocking on the door "Are you busy?"

On the other side of the door Ayla stopped, looked at the door and sighed in annoyance. "It's unlocked, Mikaela," she called back reluctantly.

Mikaela punched the button to open the door and walked into the room "I figured I'd bring your clean clothes aaaaand …" she held up a small brown paper bag, "I snatched some chocolate muffins to share. Uhh… Ayla, what are you doing?"

Ayla's room was in a state of complete disarray. Clothes were strewn across her desk, dresser, and bed. An opened and partially filled duffle bag sat at the foot of the bed. Ayla was wheeling around picking through her clothes. Occasionally she would throw an article into the bag.

"Just dump the clean clothes on the bed, Mikaela" she replied without looking up and without answering her question.

Mikaela set the basket of clean clothes on the bed and repeated her question "Ayla, what are you doing? Why are you packing up your clothes?"

"I'm going home." Ayla replied simply.

"Did Ratchet give you the okay to go? You haven't even started your therapy yet."

"No. He didn't. And I don't care. I'm tired of dealing with Sunstreaker. I can't stand him anymore. I'm going home even if I have to wheel myself there by hand."

Mikaela could not ignore the alarm that ran through her body. Ayla had shown no signs that she was having problems with Sunstreaker. When she saw them together he treated Ayla decently, silently perhaps, but decently. She never heard him say anything to her period, or anything negative about her, he never blatantly refused to help her, despite his reluctance, and he never showed any open contempt for Ayla.

Mikaela had never seen him behave in any manner that would cause trouble between them. For the past three months Ayla had seemed to enjoy being there with Autobots. With the exception of Sunstreaker, they all treated her like she was part of the team. Ayla got along well with Bee and Hotrod; Skids and Mudflap refrained from pranking her. She loved Kup and had a voracious appetite for his old war stories, the only one on base that did. Even Wheelie, who was loyal to the death to Mikaela, and simply ignored everyone else on base, took a liking to Ayla.

Ayla's sudden change of heart confused Mikaela.

"Wait a minute, Ayla. Have you thought about this? Maybe you can talk to Ratchet and Optimus about this and we can work something out."

"I _have_ been thinking it over, Mikaela. I've been trying to get rid of Sunstreaker for the past three months. I have tried to talk to Ratchet and Optimus about him and they always brush me off or promise to talk later and forget. So, I decided a month ago to go home." Ayla replied as she threw a shirt angrily into her bag.

Mikaela was torn. She had become great friends with Ayla, as had the others, bot and human alike. She hated to see her friend so distressed. She knew that if Ayla really wanted to leave, every Autobot on base would go out of their way to ensure Ayla made it home safely. Ayla could leave and nobody would be able to stop her without forcing her or hurting her, and the Autobots would not do that.

In a wave of selfishness Mikaela abruptly realized how much she did not want Ayla to leave. She finally had another girl there to chat with. Sometimes a few female soldiers from NEST would stop in, or Sarah and Annabelle Lennox would visit, but Ayla was finally someone close to her own age, someone Mikaela could share her experiences with, and stay up late, long into the night doing silly girl things, like make-overs and gossiping. Mikaela was torn. She really did not want Ayla to leave her alone again, but she did not want her friend to be unhappy either.

"What about Annabelle?" Mikaela said throwing out a line she hoped Ayla would grab onto, "You know Annabelle will be upset if she doesn't get to say goodbye to you. Mikaela knew that Ayla would not want to sever her ties with Annabelle so harshly; the two had grown pretty close in a sisterly way. Mikaela hoped that Ayla would take the bait, stay, and say goodbye to Annabelle and get over her unreasonable urge to run away.

Ayla paused for a moment remembering the first time she met Annabelle, they had connected pretty quickly.

….

Ayla had been allowed out of the med bay a few days after she first passed out. She just met a handful of mechs and was sitting in the rec room chatting with Sam; Ratchet was hovering and Sunstreaker was sulking as far away as he could get without actually leaving the room. Ayla was surprised when Mikaela came into the room with a young girl in tow.

"Hey Annabelle!" Sam called out. He held his arms open for a hug. The little girl ran from Mikaela into Sam's arms laughing.

"Who's that?" the child asked looking at Ayla over Sam's shoulder.

"This is Ayla. She's going to be here for a while. Ratchet is helping her" Sam said placing the girl down.

Annabelle walked over to Ayla and said, looking at her, "Hi! I'm Annabelle! My daddy is Captain Lennox and my mommy is Sarah. Ironhide is kinda like my daddy, 'cuz he watches me when daddy can't. And when Ironhide is busy I stay with Uncle Sam and Aunt Mikaela." The girl sped through her introduction in one breath and held out her hand.

Ayla smiled taking Annabelle's hand shaking it, "Hello, Annabelle, I'm Ayla. It's nice to meet you."

"Can I sign your leg?" the child asked suddenly eying Ayla's cast.

Ayla was surprised. "Umm, if you want to."

"This one boy in at my school, Tommy. He broke his arm and he had a blue cast. And the teacher let everyone write their names on it with a marker."

"That's cool. But I don't have a marker for you to use."

"That's okay! I have markers in my bag to color with!" She got up and ran over to Mikaela, holding a little lion shaped back pack and took the bag. She scurried back to Ayla and dumped her bag out on the couch next to Ayla. "What color?"

"What's your favorite color?" Ayla said, leaning over to watch Annabelle.

Sam and Mikaela surfaced from their own conversation when Annabelle snatched her bag from Mikaela and wandered over. "Wha'cha doing Annabelle?" Sam asked.

"Gonna sign Ayla's cast." Annabelle said pulling the cap off of a pink marker.

"That sounds like fun, need any help?" Mikaela said sitting next to Ayla on the couch.

"Nope. Daddy says I have really good handwriting for someone who's five." She replied as she started to write her name on Ayla's cast in bright pink marker.

Well, she tried to write her name. She spent about a minute carefully writing out letters in her wobbly handwriting, but the rough surface of the cast did not help. In the end, Annabelle's name stretched the length of Ayla's lower leg and was barely legible.

"Aunt Mikaela, you're good at drawing, you should draw Ayla a picture on her leg." Annabelle said, triumphantly putting the cap back on her marker.

Mikaela laughed. "Only if Ayla doesn't mind."

Ayla shook her head, "Sam should sign my cast too." Grinning, Sam picked up a marker and quickly added his signature.

"What should I draw?" Mikaela asked the child.

Annabelle thought for a moment and let her eyes wander around the room. "You should draw a kitten … no!" she said as her eyes fell on a certain yellow mech "Draw a bumblebee!"

Bee looked up as he heard his name and wandered over to watch curiously.

"Alright" Mikaela laughed as she signed her name before starting to draw. The rest of the afternoon was spent with Annabelle, Sam and Bumblebee thinking of various symbols for different mechs for Mikaela to add to Ayla's cast.

Annabelle had great fun with Ayla, who was volunteered by everyone else to watch Annabelle that night with Bee. Will and Sarah had stopped in and met Ayla before they left to go celebrate their anniversary. Sam and Mikaela had dinner plans with Sam's parents, which they could not cancel because the reservations had been made three months in advance. Ironhide was out to meet new incoming Autobots in Antartica, so Annabelle was left under the care of Bee and the watchful eye (and scanners) of Ratchet with, Ayla thrown in for entertainment.

So Ayla was left babysitting Annabelle for a few hours, Bumblebee helped tire Annabelle out so she could do non-physical activities with Ayla. After that night, Ayla became one of Annabelle's favorite babysitters and she even fell into the habit of calling Ayla, Aunt Ayla.

…

Ayla looked down at her hands for a moment, her good memories with Annabelle flashed through her mind, but she looked back to Mikaela and replied in a steely voice, "Annabelle will get over it."

Mikaela's hopes were dashed. "But Ayla, I've never noticed any problem between you and Sunstreaker …"

"Neither has anyone else," Ayla replied bitterly "But what you don't see is that no matter what I say or do he treats me like shit, and I'm tired of dealing with it."

Mikaela could only watch sadly as Ayla did a second check of her room to see if she had forgotten anything. She desperately racked her brain to find another reason to make Ayla want to stay when her phone buzzed.

"Who are you texting?" Ayla demanded suspiciously.

"Just Sam," Mikaela held her phone out to show her friend. "He's on his way back from class."

Mikaela quickly scrolled through her contacts to In Case of Emergency , punched in an urgent message, and put her phone back in her pocket with a sigh of resignation. "Have you tried to talk to Sunstreaker?"

Ayla snorted. "Yeah right, if I confronted him he'd squish me and think nothing of it." She picked up her bag and placed it on her lap "I'm leaving and he can deal with the flak after I'm gone; since that's what he wants so much."

Mikaela suppressed a sigh and reached to pick up Ayla's bag for her, "I guess you've got your mind made up then."

Ayla hesitated for a moment. She knew it would hurt to leave Mikaela, Sam, and everyone else, but she had to get away from Sunstreaker; and nobody could be bothered to try and help her, or even listen to her. "Yeah," she replied quietly.

Mikaela stepped aside to let Ayla through the door first and followed her. The two friends walked in silence together through the base. They had almost reached the main door when …

"I hear you're planning on leaving us."

Ayla stopped her wheelchair in its tracks and twisted around as much as she could. But pain shot through her healing leg and back. With a sigh, she resigned herself to turning her chair around to see the speaker.

To her dismay it was Kup leaning against the wall. More Autobots had filed in behind Kup. Optimus stood in the middle flanked by Ratchet, Prowl, and Kup. Ironhide was next to Ratchet. Kup was on the other side next to Prowl. Ayla heard the large door behind her open and close as Sam stood next to Mikaela and Bumblebee walked past. The yellow mech gave Ayla a friendly wave before taking his place next to Ironhide.

Ayla glared daggers at Mikaela.

Mikaela muttered in Ayla's ear, "I figured one more talk with the higher ups wouldn't hurt. This time you might get your point across."

Nobody spoke for a while; Ayla divided her glares between the Autobots and Mikaela.

"You know, Ayla, if you wanted to get outside so much you could have asked." Kup said, trying to break the awkward silence with a little humor.

"If you _really_ weren't happy here you should have said something about it, and we could have worked something out before this." Ratchet spoke up.

Fury rushed through Ayla's veins "I did say something!" she said, trying to keep herself from yelling. _Throwing a tantrum won't get you anything_ she repeated in her mind. "I've been trying to talk to you for the past three months at least once a week! You can't tell me that 'isn't saying something!."

Optimus shared a look with Ratchet. "Maybe we should settle this in a more private setting. Ratchet, Prowl, Bumblebee, Ayla, Mikaela, Sam, come with me. Ironhide, find Sunstreaker."

_Screw this, I'm done talking. I don't want to see Sunstreaker anymore. I'm leaving!_ Ayla said to herself as she went to turn her chair around. To her dismay the electronics in her chair had stopped working and Sam was already pushing her to follow Optimus Prime.

"Sorry about the EMP killing your chair, but we had to make sure you would stay here for a little bit longer." Mikaela said pocketing a miniature EMP generator, compliments of Wheeljack.

"Ayla, if you at least talk to them and still end up leaving, they can set you up with an apartment if you need one." Sam said, trying to make Ayla see the positive side of this intervention.

Ayla's only reaction was to scowl at Mikaela and Sam and turn away from them. She sulked the entire way to Optimus' office, conjuring elaborate but ineffective escape plans. She continued to fume as Sam pushed her to the lift that would take the humans to a platform eye level with the Autobots. She fumed into the silence that filled the room as everyone waited for someone else to speak.

"Ayla, why did you feel the need to run away from us? We thought you were happy here," Ratchet said, finally breaking the silence, "You seemed to enjoy being here. You didn't have any problems with anyone. Why are you so dead set on leave us that you would resort to running away?"

"Because I'm tired of dealing with Sunstreaker!" she snapped.

The Autobots all looked at each other "Why? He hasn't hurt you, has he?" Ratchet asked, concerned.

Every optic darkened at the thought of Sunstreaker hurting Ayla more than he had already hurt her, and deliberately.

"No. It's the way he treats me that I can't stand."

"What do you mean? He seems to be respectful to you when I see you together, or he tolerates you."

"Barely!" she said exasperated "I know he isn't a warm-and-fuzzy 'bot, but he treats me like shit! He doesn't talk to me. I have to ask him at least five times if I need something. He only puts on the tolerant act when he knows someone is around watching him. I'm sick of him!"

"How has he treated you poorly?" Optimus asked, speaking up for the first time. He watched Ironhide bring Sunstreaker through the open door, the two stopped behind Ayla and the human did not notice.

"Basically any way he can without actually hurting me. He talks down to me like I'm some stupid animal! He only does the absolute minimum when I need something, and when he does he makes a big deal about it. He insults me to my face in English and Cybertronian; I don't understand what he says, but I can tell from his tone that it isn't anything nice!" She had to stop herself from raising her voice any further; her anger was making her shake and she took a few deep breaths, "The only way I could get any peace is by sending him away. It's like he blames me that he's stuck with me! I'm lower than dirt to him and I'm tired of dealing with it and being made to feel this way! If I wanted to be treated like shit on a daily basis I would've –"

"Would have what?" Prowl asked.

"Nothing." Ayla muttered.

"It isn't 'nothing'. What would you have done?"

"I said it's nothing! It isn't important!" Ayla snapped.

Prowl was going to insist she tell them but Ratchet put a hand on his shoulder :I'll ask her about it later when she is calmer: he sent over his comm. link.

"Okay, so Sunstreaker isn't treating you well, but why didn't you talk to one of us about it? We could have fixed it a while ago and you wouldn't have had to resort to running away." Optimus looked Sunstreaker in the optic rather than looking down at Ayla while saying this. He thought the yellow mech had some guile in his optics, but he could not tell if it was from Ayla's confession, or the fact he had been caught.

"I did try and talk to you!" Ayla exclaimed in exasperation "I tried at least once a week to talk to you and Ratchet about Sunstreaker but you guys always brushed it off or rushed off to do something else. So about a month ago I decided if you wouldn't listen then I would leave so Sunstreaker wouldn't have to deal with me and you could think up some other punishment for him. I don't even know why he had to be punished by being stuck with me. It seems to be a greater punishment to me _, the victim_ , than to him!"

Sunstreaker shifted uncomfortably at Ayla's statement, but it may have been because Ironhide had just tightened his already tight grip on Sunstreaker's arm.

"So you have thought about this for a while." Ratchet said, turning his gaze back to Ayla.

" _Yes."_

Ratchet vented softly. "Ayla, you do realize if you leave now before you've started your therapy you may never regain the strength back in your leg? You could be wheelchair-bound for the rest of your life."

Alarm shot through Ayla at the idea of her being wheelchair bound for life, but she replied stubbornly "I don't care; I'll find a physical therapist. I just need to get away from Sunstreaker."

Every mech glared at Sunstreaker, who met them with his own stoic coldness.

"What I don't understand is _why_ I can't just have another mech to be my guardian. Is it really that hard?"

Optimus Prime vented softly "We assigned Sunstreaker to you because we thought that you both would benefit from the arrangement. I realize now that that decision may have been a mistake and a different approach will have to be considered."

"Yeah I get that he's being punished and has to learn to interact with humans." Ayla interrupted "But _why me?"_

"Because Sunstreaker must learn respect for humans, and for human lives. He has shown blatant disregard for human wellbeing in the past and we thought that making him your guardian and would help him learn. You were informed that an Autobot hit you because he was racing, correct?" Optimus said facing Ayla. Ayla nodded. "Were you told the identity of the mech?" Ayla shook her head. "Sunstreaker was the mech that hit you. He would have left you for dead if his twin had not knocked some sense into him and called Ratchet. As it was, you almost died because of him. But he showed no concern for you, only himself"

Ayla was stunned, and furious, "So you _lied_ to me! To make me have to be with him!"

"We never lied to you," Ratchet spoke up "You never asked which mech specifically hit you and you never asked what Sunstreaker did to deserve punishment. You never asked so we never told you."

"Well gee, that makes me feel so much better!" Ayla relied with scathing sarcasm, "I didn't even get a say in the matter! You just decided to stick me with the mech who almost killed me and probably doesn't give a rat's ass if I _had_ die!"

"We had more pressing matters on our hands at the time than allowing you to have your say in the matter." Ratchet said, his optics focusing on Ayla's stiff figure in annoyance "Matters like try saving your life, replacing your femur, and ensuring you did not suffer any spinal damage!"

" _Replacing my femur?"_

_Primus, I said too much…_ Ratchet thought. "Yes, replacing. Your femur was damaged beyond repair, you almost died from blood loss, and we didn't have time to consider alternatives. We had to replace part of your pelvis because it was shattered from your impact with Sunstreaker."

"So you just replaced my bones with what? Plastic? Metal?"

"Your femur was replaced with an alloy similar to what we use as armor, which Wheeljack and I developed for humans. Your pelvis is a synthetic silicon based plastic, which is strong, but flexible. We did not lie to you when we said you underwent emergency reconstructive surgery."

"So again you just decided to do things for me without considering what I would want."

"Ayla, you almost bled to death because your femoral artery was severely damaged. We did not have time to bring you back to consciousness to get your consent before we went to work. You had the most skilled surgeons working on you. Dr. Hill was one of many. They spent close to twenty hours working on you."

Ayla opened her mouth to argue but Ratchet cut her off "Had you been in any other hospital, even the best human hospital in the world, they would have amputated your leg because they simply do not have the technology to do what we can."

"Ayla." Sam spoke up cutting in before Ayla caused Ratchet to lose his temper "Look at my hand." He held out his left hand "Do you notice anything strange about it?"

Ayla glanced at Sam's hand "No."

"Try touching it."

She took Sam's hand in her hands and gasped softly. His skin felt rubbery compared to the skin on his arm. She looked closely and saw the tiniest line around his wrist.

"Two years ago I was in a car wreck. Bee was off on a mission so I was driving a normal car I have just for those reasons. It was a really nice car too, and vintage Ford Mustang. It was a warm day so I had the windows rolled down and my hand was hanging out of the window. I was going through an intersection and some idiot decided to run a red light. He crashed into my car and died on impact; my left hand was completely destroyed. Luckily for me, Ratchet and Wheeljack got to me in time and completely reconstructed my hand from synthetic materials. They even were able to reproduce the same fine motor control as my real muscles had." Sam wiggled his fingers for emphasis, "I had to learn to use my hand again, like you will have to learn to walk, but nothing bad will come out of this. I promise."

"Besides, now you have an unbreakable leg." Bumblebee put it "Megatron would have to step on your leg before it broke again, and that isn't likely."

"If my femur isn't broken then why have you kept me in a cast for the past three months?" Ayla said angrily.

"Your body needed time to reattach all of the tendons, ligaments, nerves, and blood vessels to your new replacement parts. The process is not completely finished yet, which is why you need therapy; not to mention the massive atrophy your leg has suffered. If you don't stay and do your therapy, which is more than just physical therapy, then your leg will not function properly and there is a ninety-eight percent chance you will be crippled for life."

Ayla felt her anger evaporate. She knew the Autobots did everything with her best interest in mind _Just like they always do…_ she thought. "You guys really don't want me to leave, do you?" she said with a sigh of resignation.

"We would hate to see you leave, some of us have come to consider you as part of the team." Bumblebee put in kindly.

"Not to mention, if you leave me I'll be stuck with NEST soldiers and mechs for company," Mikaela said jokingly.

Ayla smiled a little, realizing she really did not want to leave the base "But what about Sunstreaker?" she was still unaware of the presence of the yellow mech behind her; who had his arms crossed over his chest, Ironhide still had an unbreakable grip on his shoulder.

"Sunstreaker and I will come to an agreement," Optimus promised, glancing up to the yellow mech before turning his optics back to Ayla "But I can't guarantee you will be assigned a new guardian."

Ayla felt her anger return. "Fine." She spat "Then I'm done now." She spun her chair around toward the lift.

"Where are you going?" Prowl demanded.

"Back to my room." Ayla's eyes fell on Sunstreaker and anger pulsed through her veins. "And I don't want _him_ to follow me!" she pointed to the yellow mech and gave him the dirtiest look she could muster. Sunstreaker glared back and Ayla felt icy fear pulse through her body under his hate-filled stare.

"Ironhide, take Sunstreaker to the brig but put him in a cell separated from Sideswipe. He is to stay there until further notice." Optimus ordered.

Ironhide shoved Sunstreaker towards the door and the mech walked out with his head held high and as much dignity as he could muster.

"Ayla, you may return to your room. Would you prefer Kup or Hotrod to escort you back?"

"I don't care." Ayla said, suddenly exhausted. She felt the burn of shame creep through her body for being so childish and making a big deal over something that seemed so trivial. She made it down the lift and out the door in silence.

"You two had best be going also. We have much to discuss." Optimus said to Sam and Mikaela.

Mikaela spoke up, "Optimus, I've been thinking. What if Sunstreaker's problem has to do with Sideswipe."

"How can Sideswipe have anything to do with this?" Prowl asked, "He's been in the brig the entire time in a cell that blocks all signals, especially comm. units."

"Well that's just it. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are twins. They have their twin bond, but if they can't be with each other for some time would it have some kind of negative effect on them psychologically?"

"It's possible…" Ratchet said rubbing his chin with his hand. "Twins are still a bit of an enigma. So we don't know what lack of communication between them would do."

"Maybe if Sunstreaker talked to Sideswipe ... he would be more willing to accept Ayla."

There was a pause as the three mechs looked at each other.

"You make a plausible suggestion. We will consider it. Thank you, Mikaela." Optimus replied, ending the discussion.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, shoot I had this chapter done a while ago. Sorry guys. I just got so wrapped up in school last semester I stopped writing for a while and then when I did I just went straight on with Chapter 6. (Which has been coming along sloooooowly)
> 
> Well I hope this chapter isn't too horrendous, I didn't send it to my Beta but I did check it for grammar on my own. Hopefully I didn't miss anything huge. I hope you guys like the chapter. I'll try and get Ch.6 up soon. As always Read, Review, and Enjoy!
> 
> -Becks

Alone.

It was a concept that Sideswipe had never really understood. He had been alone before, but he had never been _alone._ Over the past three months Sideswipe had discovered what it meant to be truly alone. He hated it.

Sideswipe hated brig time. He hated it even more since Sunny was not there. He could not even reach the internet from his cell to entertain himself with petty human drama, there was nothing to do. Nothing, nothing, nothing at all.

All he could do was think; think about Sunny, Cybertron, Sunny, humans and their strange obsessions, Sunny, Earth, Sunny. To say he missed his brother was a gross understatement. He had never felt so _alone_ before. He just had not felt right since he was separated from Sunny. The twins had been apart before, but never for this long. He vaguely wondered how his brother was faring with the human.

Sides lay back on his berth with a vent of boredom and resigned himself to recharging some more _It's the only thing I can do anyways besides eat_. He offlined his optics but his thoughts kept turning to Sunny. Lately his own thoughts about his brother were concern him; he had started hearing Sunny's voice echoing through the brig. He was sure he was going to lose his ability to process clearly soon if he was not able to see Sunstreaker.

Sideswipe heard the distant approach of footsteps. One set was slow and hesitant, and treading a little heavier than necessary. The other set was forceful and deliberate, the tread was heavier and Sides could tell it belonged to a larger mech, he guessed Ironhide.

He lay there waiting for the mech's spark signatures to come within range. _Wait a minute!_ Sideswipe's optics turned on and he sat up _I know that spark signature!_ He quickly stood up and went to the front of his cell to see if it really was …

Sideswipe's spark leapt for joy as he picked up the familiar spark signature of his twin. He barely contained a grin as he reached out to his brother over their twin bond. He physically recoiled from the waves of rage that flooded from Sunstreaker, the smile falling from his face.

Sideswipe stepped back from the edge of his cell as Ironhide marched Sunstreaker past his cell. The older mech had his hand gripped so tightly on Sunstreaker's shoulder the armor was denting. Anger rolled off of Ironhide in waves as he pushed Sunny into the cell farthest from Sideswipe and marched back to the entrance of the brig. Sideswipe took a moment to marvel at Ironhide's self control; he had never seen him this angry _and_ keep his cannons locked down.

"Sunny?" Sideswipe called out softly to his brother.

Sunstreaker did not reply to his brother's call and sat there staring at the wall opposite of him.

"Sunny, what happened?" Sideswipe called out louder, Sunny had never ignored him like that.

"No talking!"Ironhide barked from his post at the entrance.

In his cell, Sunstreaker shifted his position so his back was turned to Sideswipe. Sides was shocked and starting to get annoyed with Sunny. His brother _never_ ignored him like that. _Sunny must be in one of his moods_ he thought bitterly. He reached out through their twin bond again this time braced for the rage that would flood over.

Even though he braced himself the force of the raw rage coursing through Sunny's body and over his spark bond made Sides have to lean against his berth for support. Sideswipe was not sure humans had a word to describe how furious Sunstreaker was. He took a moment to let some of Sunny's rage siphon off onto him before he concentrated on sending calming feelings to his brother. His jaw dropped when he felt those same feelings of calm he sent out rebounded back to him. _He's blocking me!_ Sides thought venomously as his twin's rage started to affect him.

"Fine! Be that way!" Sideswipe yelled to Sunny as he broke his connection. He kicked one of the support posts of his berth in aggravation "Keep me out! See if I care!"

I heavy metal fist slammed down on metal and an angry growl rang throughout the brig. Sideswipe flinched his anger evaporating and being replaced with sullen annoyance, Sunstreaker did not move.

Sides heeded Ironhide's only warning and sat down on his berth. He stared at his twin waiting for some sign of calm, some sign of weakness, some sign of life from his brother.

*****************************************************Angst!****************************************************************************************

Ayla shifted uncomfortably in her bed. She had spent the better part of the past ten hours hoarded up in her room with the door locked, the blinds drawn, and the lights off. She knew Hot Rod had followed her back to her room after her confrontation with Optimus and the others but she locked him out and refused to reply to his offers of food or company.

She had spent the rest of the day watching the light creep across the walls from the gaps in the blinds changing from bright white, to gold to fiery orange before disappearing. During that time Hot Rod had knocked on her door at least ten times asking if she needed anything. She heard Kup stop by once to check on her too, but she refused to open the door even for her favorite old warrior. She was pretty sure the only thing that kept them from breaking her door down were their constant scanning to make sure she was still alive and conscious. _Like they need to do that._ Ayla thought with a snort _I'm not stupid enough to try and kill myself. I just … want to be alone…._

Ayla knew she was being childish, hiding from everyone, but she was so ashamed. She had tried to sleep after dark but the burning shame in her chest kept her awake, tossing and turning, well more of rotating her bandaged leg would only allow her to lay on her back and her left side.

For the ten-thousandth time that night she looked up at the ceiling and sighed in irritation. She was not irritated at any of the Autobots, except for Sunstreaker, but more at herself. Even though she had only turned eighteen a couple of weeks before the accident she had tried her hardest to behave like a mature, responsible, level-headed adult so people would not patronize her.

_And then I go and blow it sky high!_ She reminded herself for the millionth time since the confrontation _I can't believe I acted like a stupid, spoiled brat!_

A new wave of shame washed over Ayla as she turned on her side. She glared at the lumps on the floor which were her discarded clothing and duffle bag she had angrily thrown on the floor upon her return. She looked at the piles and felt even more ashamed _I can't even be bothered to clean up my own mess._

She rolled over onto her back and her stomach growled hungrily, having gotten used to regular meals in the past three months. "Oh shut up!" she muttered to herself. She knew she would be able to eat again if she would just get up and leave her room, but she was still too ashamed to face anyone and she really wanted to avoid any further confrontations that day.

With an irritated moan she shifted to her side again and glanced to the clock on the wall. The bright blue digits told her it was only a few minutes after midnight. Ayla stared at the clock willing time to move faster. She knew that she would have to go back to the rest of the world in the morning; Ratchet would break her door down if he figured out she skipped two meals. He had come pounding on her door demanding she ate something claiming it was not healthy when she refused her first meal. Of course Ayla had ignored him just like everyone else. She almost broke down when Bee texted her to come out and get something with chocolate but she closed the text and took the battery out of her phone.

_Chocolate!_ Ayla's eyes scanned her dark room looking for that precious bag. _There!_ right on her desk where Mikaela had placed it that afternoon. Her stomach growled again as she sat up stiffly and silently lowered herself into her special wheelchair. She stealthily wheeled across her room cursing in whispers when she ran into a pile of clothes. She gingerly picked up the bag wincing at how the crinkly brown paper seemed deafening as she opened the bag. With almost surgical precision she gently extracted two giant chocolate muffins.

Ayla giggled in a whisper and placed the two treats in her lap before she wheeled back to her bed. The delicious aroma wafted up to her nose and made her mouth water and her stomach growl even louder. Ayla hardly settled herself back in her bed before she grabbed one of the tantalizing muffins and took a huge bite out of it. She polished it off in a few seconds and reached for the second one. She ate that one more slowly savoring the bitter-sweet chunks of chocolate folded into the sweet chocolate batter.

Sooner than she wanted, the muffins were gone. She threw the papers on the floor and lay back in her bed and stared at the ceiling and sighed again. Her stomach was happier now that it had food, but her thoughts turned back to her shame and her stomach started to churn uncomfortably.

Ayla closed her eyes and tried to convince her brain to slow down so she could sleep, of course it did not listen. Eventually she drifted off and slept fitfully. When she woke up again she saw weak light filtering through her windows. A quick glance at the clock told her it was just a little after five am. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. She knew what she had to do.

With as little sound as she could she lowered herself into her chair and quickly changed her clothes and brushed out her hair. She glanced in the mirror and bared her teeth to check for any chocolate scum before she rolled over to her door.

With resolve, Ayla punched the button to open the door and wheeled out into the corridor. The first thing she was Bumblebee sitting with his back against the wall straight across from her door. Ayla quickly lifted a finger to her lips "shhh". Bee mimicked her and remained leaning against the wall, pretending to not notice the human now wheeling herself down the hall, toward Med Bay.

Ayla felt more guilt rise in her stomach as she thought about Bumblebee "He was probably sitting there all night keeping a scanner on me." she thought and made mental a note to apologize to him. Ayla did not meet anyone else, mech or human, on the rest of the way to Ratchet, she was relieved because she wanted to avoid as many confrontations as possible for the time being.

Ayla's finger hovered over the intercom button at the door to Med Bay. Ratchet had it installed at human level specifically for the purpose of having people announce their presence before barging into a possibly very private session a mech may be having with Ratchet, too many soldiers had seen things they cannot un-see because of that. With determination Ayla pressed the button and spoke into the box "Ratchet?" she hoped her voice did not sound too weak, uncertain, or scared.

"Enter." Was the curt reply. Ayla's spirits fell a little, he did not sound like he was in a very good mood, or he might just be irritated with her. Either way it was not helping Ayla feel any better about herself. The door slid open slowly and Ayla hesitantly wheeled herself into Med bay. Her already low confidence plummeted when she saw Ratchet was not alone in med bay, Optimus Prime was there too.

"Uh… should I come back?" Ayla said pointing her thumb over her shoulder back to the still open door.

"No, you aren't interrupting anything." Ratchet said. Ayla heard the door slide closed behind her and suddenly an irrational wave of panic wash over her; she felt trapped. "What's wrong, Ayla." Ratchet's voice broke through her moment of panic, he sounded concerned, no doubt he was closely monitoring her and noticed the spike in her heart rate and adrenaline levels.

"I just need to talk to you." Ayla said weakly, desperately wishing she would calm down.

"Is is medical or personal?" Ratchet glanced to Optimus who moved to leave the room.

"No," Ayla said quickly so Prime would not leave "I just …. I just wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday." She paused and looked up at the mechs, neither of them looked like they weren't going to listen to her, but they weren't going to flood her with sugar coated "it's alright. You were perfectly okay acting like that. We forgive you". Ayla was happy about that because she knew she would not believe them if they had said that. The two mechs just stood there silently waiting for Ayla to continue.

Ayla looked down at her hands; she had started wringing them nervously. She clasped her hands together and pressed them into her lap. "I'm sorry I was so difficult yesterday. I acted like a stupid, spoiled child. I know you did everything with a purpose and in my best interest. It was ignorant of me to not see that and let my emotions get the better of me. I understand that you can't possibly have noticed what was going on between Sunstreaker and me because you have more pressing matters than one human." She grasped her hands tighter as they started to shake, fighting their usual impulse as she waited for their reply. She knew their response would not be the same she had grown used to, but her body still tried to move on that impulse.

Optimus Prime and Ratchet looked at each other and for a few moments the med bay was filled with silence. "How does the saying go?" Optimus started "To err is human…"

"… And Cybertronian." Ratchet finished in a gentle tone. "It is true you acted like a petulant child yesterday, but you are still young, and your emotions are strong. It is no surprise that you were upset by all the information you were given yesterday."

"And we may have been a little negligent when it came to talking to you about Sunstreaker." Optimus said.

"Well, I don't blame you really." Ayla said, calming down considerably "You are both really busy and you have more important things to worry about."

"But as Leader and Chief Medical Officer, we need to make time to help everyone under our care, and give them equal treatment, including our newest member." Optimus said, looking down to Ayla kindly.

Ayla half smiled, she knew they were being sincere, but some guilt still sat in the bottom of her stomach, she felt like she still had to make it up somehow, but how she was not entirely sure.

"Is that all you came here for?" Ratchet asked, sensing Ayla's hesitation.

"Yeah. I'm just going to go grab something to eat and clean up." She turned herself around, and gripped her wheels tightly, her hand's had not stopped shaking and she really did not want Ratchet digging into it at that moment.

"Don't forget you have to come back and see me today at three, we need to change your cast into a more moveable one so you can start your therapy." The CMO said, dismissing Ayla. He had noticed Ayla's psychological stress during their confrontation and the affect it had on her body, he made a note to ask her about it at a later time. He and Optimus had a mech to check in on in the brig.

**********************************************************Muffins!************************************************************************************

Sunstreaker slowly onlined his optics and took a moment to process where he was. He was in the brig, nothing unusual there, except he was sitting on the floor with his knees bent and his helm resting on his knees. He was incredibly stiff and his joints felt like they had frozen in that position. Slowly he moved each limb letting the fluids run back through the joints until he stood up. He turned around expecting to see Sides hogging the berth, like usual, but was shocked to find it empty. He spied his brother in a cell on the far side of the brig, alone. Suddenly the memories of the day before came rushing back to him, all the way up until Ayla had told everyone how he had been treating her and he was given bring time, then Sunstreaker just remembered hazy memories and rage.

Sideswipe was still in recharge, so Sunstreaker decided to wake him up. With a smirk he reached over to his brother through their twin bond and sent him feelings of alarm and tension asociated with being under attack. Sides leapt off of his berth, instantly alert ready to fight. It took him a moment to process what was happening and when he did he turned to Sunny with a look of mock annoyance. "You could have picked a nicer way to wake me up."

Sunny shrugged, "You should expect that from me."

Sideswipe took a few steps closer to his brother, relishing in the feelings of closeness he had with his brother, something he had not realized was so essential to his mental stability. "So I see you're feeling better now."

"Well I'm a little stiff and sore." Sunny said, rotating his shoulders.

"It's not my fault when you're too pissed off to process to sit on the berth instead of pouting in the corner like a sparkling." Sides shot back, still a little bitter that Sunny had kept him out last night.

Sunny gave a noncommittal shrug and muttered "Eh." before he sat down on his berth.

The brothers sat in silence, bonding over what they had missed in the past three months. Sideswipe noticed Sunny was holding something back, so he tried to dig a little deeper to see what his brother was hiding. Sunstreaker shot his brother a warning glare when he noticed what Sides was trying to uncover. Sideswipe held up his hands in defeat and backed off. He would figure out what Sunny was hiding eventually, after all they were twins. And prying was Sideswipe's specialty.

"So," Sides said leaning back and placing his hands behind his head "Did you miss me while I was stuck down here and you were playing human-sitter?" a smirk crossed his face plates as he found his brother's raw nerve.

"I don't want to talk about her." Sunny growled at his brother.

"Why?" he teased.

"Because it's her slagging fault any of this has happened! If she had never come along, I wouldn't be stuck playing human nanny and you wouldn't be stuck in the brig alone!"Sunny released his pent up frustration, "She's caused more trouble than she's worth." he growled.

"Primus, Sunny, you're talking about her like she's some … dumb animal; a beast of burden, as the humans would put it. She's a sentient being, just like you and me. Did you even _try_ to get to know her?"

Sunstreaker glared at his brother.

"Primus, when did you switch sides to the Decepticons, Sunstreaker?" Sideswipe asked quietly, his brother had changed more than he thought in the past three months. It hurt.

Sunny opened his mouth to defend himself, and reassure his brother he was still the same, when he was cut off by the arrival of Optimus Prime, Ratchet, and Prowl.

"I'm need to talk to both of you," Ratchet growled, "Sideswipe, you first. Then Sunstreaker."

The twins shared a look, neither knowing what was going on. Sides shrugged, hoping he was finally getting out of the brig, and docilely walked out of his cell and followed Ratchet. Optimus followed the CMO and the red twin, using his Prime status to keep the usually unpredictable mech in line, it wasn't necessary.

Sunstreaker sat on his berth thinking frantically about what kind of 'talk' Sideswipe was having with Ratchet. He tried his hardest not to fidget, a nervous habit he had developed as a sparkling. Prowl had left and returned with an energon cube, he sent it into the cell with an icy stare. Sunstreaker returned the glare and the two mechs stood there locked in that glare waiting for the other one to look away. Finally, Prowl averted his optics with an almost in detectible shiver.

"Eat." He said gruffly, gesturing to the cube. He turned away and walked over to the desk.

Sunstreaker slowly picked the cube up and scanned it suspiciously. He knew there wouldn't be anything in it, but if he did not see where it came from he would not take it without scanning it, it was a habit formed by the war. Once he was satisfied that the energon was clean he took a sip, keeping an optic on Prowl looking for any sign that there might have been something in detectible in the energon. Prowl did not even cast a glance to see if Sunstreaker was eating. He was hovering over his always-present data pad rapidly entering information almost faster than he could process.

Sunstreaker finished his energon and set the empty cube down. He barely had time to return his thoughts to Sideswipe when the devil himself walked back into the brig followed by Ratchet and Optimus. Sides sent Sunny a wave of reassurance. : _Just do what they tell you do to and behave and everything will be fine_ : Sides told Sunny over their comm. link in the brief second both of the brothers were out of their cells.

Heeding his brother's advice, Sunstreaker followed Ratchet without making any motion to get away. As far as he was concerned, brig time was better than Ayla time. He followed Ratchet into a room that was rather bare. There was one large desk and a few mech-sized chairs; obviously the room was not used often. The door slip shut behind them, leaving Optimus outside for confidentiality, Sunny couldn't help but think of one word to describe the room. Interrogation.

"Al right, Sunstreaker," Ratchet said moving behind the desk, "We can do this the easy, painless way; which is I ask questions and you answer them." He slid open a panel on his wrist and placed a capsule of Cybertronian sedatives into the slot, "Or we can do this the hard way." He said with a growl, his hand finished transforming into a large needle with a foreboding click.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is chapter 6. It has been completed in a much more timely manner than chapter 5. I hope you like it.
> 
> In this chapter: Ayla get's a new set of legs!(Cookie to anyone who knows the movie that will be quoted later) We dig up some information about Ayla's dark, secret, hidden past, maybe even something SHE didn't know, like an evil twin bent on destroying her life. (Ok, now it is starting to sound like a bad Soap Opera) And Ayla finally get's to meet your favorite red mech! (But will he be more accepting of her and be able to influence Sunny's possibly murderous thoughts?)
> 
> Well, if you want answers then you're just going to have to read the darn chapter. I didn't spend all this time typing it up for nothing you know.
> 
> Next chapter will be another time jump forward a few months. And I do have a question for you wonderful readers. Are you following the time jumps easily? The story started in summer, early July if you're curious, and it has skipped forward three months, which means now it is October. Have you been able to follow that or should I indicate the month at the beginning of each chapter? I'm down with whatever, so what works best for you guys is what works best for me.
> 
> Now, since I'm snowed in because of Snowmageddon/The Snowpocalypse/ The Snowtorious B I G/You get the picture, and not going to class I have oodles of free time to devote to writing. So, if you want chapter 7 up in a timely manner then I want no less than 5 reviews for Chapter 6. Fair trade?
> 
> As always Read, Review, and Enjoy! (And don't forget that question I just asked you)
> 
> -The Beckster
> 
> THANKS A TON to my Beta Vivienne Grainger! Man, I read over this chapter at least five times searching for mistakes and you still found a bunch. Guess I know I'm never going into the Beta business. Haha!

**Chapter 6**

"That's my new cast? It looks like the love child of a medieval torture device and modern medicine." Ayla stared at the contraption sitting on the table in front of her warily. Dr. Hill chuckled at the girl's attempt at humor; the joke was lost on Ratchet and Wheeljack.

"It's an improvement on your human design for a walking cast," Wheeljack said, eager to show off his design, "The joints can be locked and adjusted to provide the approved amount of mobility at a specified joint. They can be calibrated differently for each joint depending on your range of mobility as you start your physical therapy." He demonstrated with the knee joint before setting it back on the table.

Ayla reached out and picked up the bulky, but surprisingly light, cast. The outer shell was shiny metal probably a bullet-proof, virtually indestructible alloy, she thought, the inside was padded with soft cushions where there would be the most pressure. Velcro straps allowed the two halves of the cast to be fastened and adjusted to fit Ayla's leg. The whole cast was almost half Ayla's height including a boot around her foot, and and extension that wrapped around her waist to keep her hip joint in place. Her hip, suffering the most damage, was going to require the most rehabilitation; she hadn't been able to move it in months. The original cast had also encircled her waist, leaving Ayla in a half reclined position. She was ready to be able to sit up straight and lay down flat.

"So when do I start my PT?" Ayla asked, placing the cast on the table.

"Today," Ratchet replied, "We are going to remove your cast, do a range of tests, start stimulating your nerves, and get your leg moving again."

Ayla smiled; the thought of finally getting out of her chair and being able to move around excited her. She had long since grown restless staying in the same position morning, noon, and night for the past three months; that, and the jokes about how she was "chillin' 24/7" had gotten old after the first week. Ayla was also getting really tired of everyone doing everything for her. It had been nice when her arm was still in a cast and she really couldn't do much, but everyone still insisted on picking stuff up for her, opening things for her, doing her laundry for her. They all had good intentions, but Ayla was always left with this feeling of uselessness. She could not stand feeling so useless, helpless, and vulnerable.

"Great!" she said enthusiastically "Let's go! I'm ready to get off my ass."

"Did you read the information data pad I sent to your room before you came?" Ratchet asked, holding up his hand to stop Ayla from wheeling herself away in her sudden rush of excitement.

"Yeah, maybe I kinda skimmed it ... uhh, no. I didn't read it." Ayla said guiltily, after receiving a questioning glance from Ratchet.

"You'll have to read it on your own later. It has a list of exercises you need to do every day aside from the other rehab. It also provides detailed information of what each exercise and treatment will do for your recovery."

Ayla made a face, "Gross, boring reading."

"You're an adult, Ayla, I won't treat you like a sparkling by forcing you to read. But if you do not prepare yourself for what is to come then you recovery will take twice as long and be half as effective," Ratchet said, as he picked Ayla up, and placed her on the berth.

"Fine I'll read the packet tonight." Ayla said quickly, not wanting Ratchet to go off onto one of his lectures about responsibility and preparedness. "So what's the plan?"

"In general, every day you will have physical therapy with Dr. Hill, every other day you will see me for check-ups on your replacements and electro-stimulation."

"Electro-stimulation? That doesn't sound pleasant…" Ayla said hesitantly.

"It is to encourage your muscle and nerve tissues to connect to the replacements and it will stimulate their functions. There will be some pain, but it won't be unbearable. First things first, we've got to get your cast off."

"Unbearable by whose terms?" Ayla muttered as Ratchet transformed his finger into a small saw.

"I'll warn you ahead of time, when your cast comes off your leg will not look very healthy. You have a lot of scarring and it will appear … withered."

The saw started to whirr and Ayla visibly tensed. She knew Ratchet was so precise he would not go more than a millimeter past the cast, but the noise freaked her out regardless.

"Look away, please, and try to relax," Ratchet said as he started sawing through the cast by her foot.

Ayla looked away, so she would not get cast shrapnel in her eyes. She locked eyes with Alan, who was smiling warmly, like he always did. "So, I thought you were just a surgeon, not a therapist."

"Nope, I started as a physical therapist, and then the Army hired me and paid for my schooling. So I went through med school and came out a surgeon. I spent a good chunk of time in the VA hospital where I worked with amputees and I helped them get acclimated to their prosthetics. I probably spent most of my time helping my patients recover, unlike most of the docs who would patch a kid up and send him off to the PT's. Well the higher ups weren't very happy with my practice, but it definitely made the kids feel better, so they let me be for the most part. Well, then a few years ago, I was contacted by a top secret military organization and they said my habit of staying with patients from beginning to end had caught the eye of their Chief Medical Officer, and they wanted me on the team. So I took the job and the rest is history."

"Ah. Makes sense to me." Ayla said just as the whirring of Ratchet's drill died away. Chills ran up her spine and goose bumps dotted her arm as her leg was exposed to the cool air of med bay. Ayla looked at her leg and gasped. "My God…." she whispered, "It looks so… dead."

A huge scar, about an inch thick ran down Ayla's thigh, starting up on her hip and ending mid-knee. The scar was an angry red and the color bled into the skin around it. The rest of her leg was a sickly pale, almost gray. Her skin was wrinkly and very fragile looking, almost like if she pulled on it too hard it would tear. There was an obvious difference in size between Ayla's left and right leg. Ratchet was right, it did look withered.

"Don't worry too much. Rehab will build your muscle mass back up, the scar will mostly fade over time, and your skin will look normal with a little soap and water and some sunshine." Alan said gently, reading Ayla's horrified reaction. "Soon it will be good as new and you'll never be able to tell."

Ayla took a couple deep breaths to calm herself, pushing away the sudden wave of fear that her leg would never work properly. She knew that would not happen under the eyes and optics of Dr. Hill and Ratchet.

Curious, Ayla reached out and gingerly traced her scar with her finger. The scar was tender to the touch, but there were spots that were starting to toughen, like a callous, and not as sensitive as the rest.

A thin film of scum had attached to Ayla's finger. She looked at it with disgust for a moment before wiping it on her shirt. "Ew."

Alan smiled and held out something for Ayla, "Loofah?"

****************************************Rub-a-dub-dub******************************

"So…" Ayla ventured, bringing up the inevitable, "What's the deal with Sunstreaker?"

She had avoided the topic for the entire appointment. It hadn't been very hard. During the first mobility test she discovered that she couldn't do much more than wiggle her toes and twitch her foot back and forth; the rest of her leg hung dead, giving her a minor panic attack. Then during the not-so-painless electroshock therapy she was too busy gritting her teeth and mentally traveling back in time to murder Ben Franklin for doing his stupid key in a thunderstorm experiment. Then during the second mobility test her whole leg had a spasm any time she tried to move her knee. Ratchet said it was an improvement because her nerves and muscles were communicating; something was just getting lost in translation.

Ayla wasn't so sure; each spasm hurt and made her scar feel like it was going to tear open.

Now Ratchet was putting the final calibrations on Ayla's cast. Her leg was in the exact same position as it had been in her old cast; however, Ayla had some mobility in her hip. Not a lot, she wouldn't be doing any backbends soon, but she could bend at the waist a little and lay flat on her back. Those movements didn't require her legs so much as her back and abdominal muscles. Ayla just was happy to be able to stand up with the help of crutches.

Ratchet did not speak for a few moments, he set the last joint on the cast before he replied, "Sunstreaker will resume his position as your guardian, but under close scrutiny." Ratchet said, as he settled into a chair. He held up a finger to cut Ayla off as she opened her mouth to argue. "We believe that most of Sunstreaker's attitude problem was due to the extended absence of his twin."

Ayla shot Ratchet an unconvinced look. The medic continued his explanation before she could interrupt him, "We did a psychological examination of both twins this morning and even after only a few hours of being in the same room Sunstreaker was more willing to cooperate. Both mechs reported the same symptoms, some of them including what humans would consider potential for insanity."

"But why did that happen?" Ayla said, still a little unconvinced.

"You know enough about us that I don't have to explain the basics of spark bonds, right?" Ratchet asked, settling back for a long explanation.

"Yeah, I know a little. Like they are personal connections Cybertronians make between themselves so they can be connected to each other on a higher level than comm. links. Really close friends or family members have bonds and they can feel emotions and kind of pinpoint where the mech is and it's basically an eternal connection. Right?"

"In a general sense, yes, but I'm not going to bore you with the details right now. Twin bonds are stronger than average spark bonds and they can do more than just feel emotions, they transfer emotions, and the presence of a twin's spark bond means life or death for the other twin. During the wars we discovered that if a twin was killed in battle, the other one would die soon after. Our brig is specially designed so that signals cannot get in or out. No comm. links, no satellite signals, no internet. The only way to pass information would be through sound. The brig also mutes spark bonds, so the bond between Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, while not dead, has been silent for the past three months. I'm not sure I can compare it to anything a human would experience because you do not bond on the same level as we do. I suppose I could say a silent spark bond for a month would be something like solitary confinement for a year."

Ayla was finally convinced. She was quiet for a few moments mulling things over, actually feeling a little pity stir in her for Sunstreaker: she never realized what he was going through, though he did bring it upon himself. "I didn't even know Sunstreaker had a twin." She said softly.

Ratchet shot Ayla a surprised look, "You two really did not talk about anything, did you?"

Ayla shook her head, "No, every time I tried to he gave me the stink eye and ignored me. Eventually I gave up. Sunstreaker and his twin aren't identical twins, are they?" She was horrified at the thought of _two_ Sunstreakers wandering around. She imagined a pair of Sunstreakers going out of their way to crush plants and shoot small, furry animals all the while laughing with evil glee. _Noooo! They would shoot Bambi and squish Thumper and Flower!_

"No," Ratchet said, relief thick in his voice, "Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are not identical." _Oh, Primus, help us if they were!_ "They are more like human fraternal twins. Two separate entities that happened to be sparked at the same time. Sideswipe is definitely the warmer half of the pair. He is cocky, arrogant, and a glut for attention, but he has a sense of humor. He is less likely to be insulted (though I wouldn't push him) and more sarcastic than Sunstreaker. He and Sunstreaker form an almost unbeatable team in battle, and unfortunately they have a twisted sense of humor that results in bitterer consequences than any of Skids' and Mudflap's pranks. They usually leave a larger mess."

Ayla breathed a sigh of relief; her Sunstreaker x2 nightmare was never going to happen. "Fraternal twins," she mused out loud, "Kinda like me and Andrew…"

"Who?" Ratchet asked, his superb hearing easily catching Ayla's mumbling. He started mentally going through all of the files they had on Ayla, searching for Andrew's name.

Ayla looked up, "Andrew was my twin brother."

"Was?" Ratchet prompted as he found Andrew and Ayla's birth certificates.

"Yeah." Ayla said softly, "He and my mom were in a fatal car accident when I was eight. My mom was picking up Andrew from Tae-Kwon-Do practice after work and she was going to meet me and my dad for dinner. They never showed up, so we went home and the police were there. My dad left for the hospital and my older half-brother put me to bed. The next morning my dad told me that they were dead. The funeral was a few days later and that was that."

"I'm sorry for you loss." Ratchet said. He gently placed a finger on Ayla's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. He had quickly learned that humans, like Cybertronians, took comfort in physical contact in times of grief and pain.

Ayla smiled weakly and patted Ratchet's finger appreciatively, "It's alright; it's been over ten years since the accident. And as they say, time heals all wounds." She saw Ratchet get the unfocused look that meant he was looking at some files, probably hers.

Ayla quickly changed the subject before Ratchet could ask any more questions, "So what time am I going to meet Sideswipe and get stuck with Sunstreaker again?"

Ratchet's optics focused on Ayla again "Meet us in the rec room in an hour." Ratchet held out his hand and Ayla awkwardly climbed up sat in his palm. He carried her to the door and set her down outside it. "Prime and I need to have another chat with them before we set them loose again."

"Alright," Ayla said reluctantly, "I can give him a second chance. Hopefully you're right about his attitude being related to Sideswipe. I'll see you later." She turned and hobbled off down the hall. Ratchet watched her struggle to get into a good rhythm with her crutches, but by the end of the hall she was cruising.

Ratchet walked back through med bay into his office, a little half room between med bay and his personal quarters. He sat down behind his desk and pulled his datapad towards him. Within a few seconds he pulled up all of the information on the crash he could find. He quickly skimmed the news articles and obituaries; he stopped on the police reports. A fatigued semi driver fell asleep behind the wheel and ran through a red light. The pictures were gruesome by human standards; the little sedan was completely destroyed and the semi had escaped with only a few dents. Ayla's mother and her twin were the only fatalities from the accident though five others were injured, the semi driver walked away with a sprained ankle when he jumped out of his truck and landed wrong before calling for help.

With morbid curiosity, Ratchet continued his research. Both of Ayla's parents were English professors at a local community college; her mother, Rose, specialized in "modern classics" and her father, Albert, taught Shakespeare. Her father was ten years her mother's senior and had been married and divorced once; his ex was currently living paycheck to paycheck serving drinks in a bar in Michigan. Ayla's half brother, David, was six when his mom walked out and ten when Albert married Rose. Two years later Ayla and Andrew were born, Rose became a stay-at-home-mom until the twins started grade school. Shortly after the accident, Albert, David and Ayla moved to their current residence. Ayla was enrolled in the local schools and … disappeared. Ratchet frowned as he dug a little deeper, after a few moments and pass codes he found it. A report Albert filed just before Ayla was to enter high school that claimed she was emotionally unfit to be in the public school system. He pulled her out of school and home-schooled her.

Ratchet's frown deepened; with all the time he had spent around Ayla he had observed much about her. She genuinely cared for others. While very soft spoken and shy around those she didn't know well, she easily made friends and barely stopped talking once she got started. Many mistook her small stature and shy demeanor for someone who would agree with anything and just "go with the flow", but when Ayla got riled up that girl was a fireball and she stuck to her guns. Ayla was many things, but emotionally unstable was not one of them.

"I smell a rat." Ratchet growled, using one of the Earth phrases he picked up from watching too much TV. He started to type in more commands to extend his search when a knock at his door broke his concentration. He looked up to see Optimus standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face plates.

"Usually Prowl jumps like that when I interrupt his work, not you," he teased "Are you ready to release the twins?"

"Primus, is it that time already?" Ratchet asked, stowing the data pad in a desk drawer. He stood up and walked across the small office.

"What were you studying so intently?" Optimus asked as Ratchet locked his office.

"Ayla." The CMO replied as the two mechs started to walk towards the brig, "Did you know she had a twin?"

***********************************Release the hounds!*********************************

Ayla gratefully sank into the couch in the rec room. She had exhausted herself going around base showing everyone her new cast. Her arms hurt, but it was fun showing off her awesome "crutching skills". Bumblebee, upon seeing Ayla up on her own two feet could not help but joyously exclaim "Lieutenant Dan! You got new legs!" Ayla heard Sam muttered under his breath, "I was gonna say that."

Mikaela laughed and settled next to her friend. "Didn't think it would be so hard walking with crutches, huh?"

"Uggh, I didn't realize it would require so much energy," she laughed. "I'm beat."

The two women chatted for a few minutes until they were interrupted by multiple treads of mech's feet.

Mikaela took this as her cue to leave. "Text me when you wanna grab some food," she called over her shoulder as she dodged between the feet of the entering mechs. As she walked past Sunstreaker she shot him a look, which clearly said "Be nice or I will shoot you in the face."

Sunstreaker ignored Mikaela's look. Sideswipe barely suppressed a smile : _I should get myself thrown in the brig alone more often. You make so many new friends when I'm gone_ :

: _Shut up_ : His twin replied.

The first two mechs in the room were Optimus and Ratchet. They were followed by Sunstreaker in all of his yellow glory, and Sideswipe, Ayla assumed. The mech was painted that red that the police automatically target, that flashy red that automatically made their radar guns read ten over the posted speed limit. He strutted into the rec room like he owned the place. He stood there confidently as if celebrating his triumphant return with a large, adoring crowd. "It's so good to be home," he said to no one. His optics scanned around the empty room until they fell on Ayla. "Ah," he said as if just noticing her, "tiny, organic, and crippled. You must be Ayla. I didn't recognize you now that you aren't a bleeding mess on the road."

Ayla studied the mech. His words could have been insulting, but there was something behind them that let her know he was messing with her. "Tall, obnoxious, flashy, and an attention whore. You must be Sideswipe," she countered, "I didn't recognize you stationary. The last time I saw you, you were a blur and I almost died."

Sideswipe crouched down to be closer to Ayla's level. "One should learn to look both ways before crossing the road. I believe that is a basic lesson all humans are taught since the day they learn to walk. Your lack of judgment seems to have caused a lot of trouble for me and Sunstreaker."

Ayla looked back at the mech, her face a calm mask, "Perhaps, but I believe it was your lack of judgment in breaking the rules and racing that started this whole mess. I'm just a victim here. And you two have caused me plenty of trouble already." She shot Sideswipe a defiant look.

"Touché" he replied with a nonchalant shrug. The red mech stood up and faced his brother a grin tugging at his face plates. : _I like this little femme. She's a feisty one_ :

Ratchet and Optimus visibly relaxed. : _Well that went better than expected_ : Ratchet said to Prime over their comm. link.

"You three seem to be getting along reasonably well. We'll leave you to talk. Who knows you may find you have more in common than you previously never bothered to figure out." Ratchet said as he moved out of the room. The two mechs walked far enough away from the rec room to give the three some privacy, but they remained close enough that if Ayla raised her voice they would hear her.

Ayla swallowed nervously and turned towards the twins. Sideswipe was studying her curiously, Sunstreaker just watched her like he usually did, his optics resting on her for a few seconds and then flitting around the room looking at anything else. However, Ayla could tell there was something behind his optics that signified a change. _Maybe Ratchet was right about him needing his twin to stay sane._

"Sooooo…" she spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. Two sets of blue optics focused on her. She started searching for something to say, and at a loss for words, settled for the obvious. "You guys are twins?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is Chapter 7. I got this one out much faster than normal. Hopefully the next chapter will come out in just as timely of a manner.
> 
> BTW - this chapter is automatically awesome, because the word count (not including my AN) is exactly 4,444 words, and I didn't even plan it that way.
> 
> Thanks a ton Lambor Terror Lep for being my only reviewer last chapter! If I could give you a cookie I would. I hope a new chapter will be a decent substitute.
> 
> As always: Read, Review, and Enjoy!
> 
> -The Beckster

**Chapter7**

"Hey, you up for some shopping tomorrow?" Mikaela asked as she popped a DVD into the player.

"Shopping?" Ayla questioned as she snuggled under her blanket.

The girls had commandeered the large rec room for a movie night. They were armed with a mountain of pillows and blankets, enough soda and snacks to supply a frat party, half of a salon's supplies, and every chick-flick they could find. It was going to be a good night; no boys allowed, except for the two mechs who had to be there. Said mechs were currently sitting at the far end of the room trying their hardest to ignore what was spewing out of the TV speakers - they could only handle so much chick-flick romance; three movies was their limit and the girls were on movie number five.

"Yeah," Mikaela said as she flopped down onto her pile of cushions, "there is the new outdoor mall that looks like a little village that opened up a while back. I want to check it out and it's supposed to be really nice out tomorrow. The perfect day to start my Christmas shopping."

Ayla cracked open a can of pop. "I don't know; if it's really popular, it's bound to be really crowded. I know I'm getting better at walking, but I go slow. And I don't want people to stare at my cast the whole time," she said uneasily. "Remember when we went to Wal-Mart and that lady started freaking out on me?"

"Oh nobody is going to start hitting you with their cane and calling you a leech on society just because you are on crutches. Besides, you laughed about it later."

"It was still embarrassing." Ayla chuckled.

"We can go later in the day; there shouldn't be as many shoppers in the evening because it will be cooler. I checked and all of the shops close at eight. And there are all sorts of restaurants there so we can grab something to eat. Besides, it will be good for you. Ratchet and Dr. Hill said you need to practice walking more."

"Alright, I'll bring my crutches if my leg starts acting up, just in case." Ayla said, quickly convinced. She was getting tired of being cooped up on base. "Now can we watch the movie? _Titanic_ is one of my favorites."

Sunstreaker almost banged his helm against the table as the girls started their inane babble about how Jack and Rose's love was true. He had no idea why a story about a dumb ship running into an iceberg was so appealing to human femmes. And he _hated_ shopping.

Sideswipe chuckled at his brother's misfortune. He had grown to like Ayla much more in the past five weeks than his twin had in three months. Though shopping was not on the top of his list of fun things to do with the humans; it mostly involved sitting outside in his alt-mode waiting for the girls to stuff a bunch of bags filled with useless junk into his storage spaces. He always sub-spaced the junk, since he hated the feeling of carrying extra baggage, and while doing so he could't transform.

Though both of the twins usually got a lot of attention from the humans, and they had fun messing with the gawkers. But Sideswipe was going to sit this shopping trip out; maybe he could convince someone to swap guard duty shifts.

"You're coming with me tomorrow." Sunstreaker growled to his brother. "I'm not suffering through that alone, _especially_ since Wheelie will go with Mikaela. I can't stand that little slagger."

"Eh, you just need to get into the Christmas spirit." Sideswipe grinned. He started playing a sound clip quitly enough that the girls wouldn't hear it, but his brother could, loud and clear. "Try listening to some Bing Crosby."

There was a loud bang as metal met metal. The girls jumped and looked behind them so see Sunstreaker looking surly, as always, and Sideswipe looking rather smug while he was rubbing his arm.

Sunstreaker, having "dead-armed" his brother, grumbled, "I hate Christmas music."

The girls shared a look, shrugged, and returned to their movie.

*************************************Jingle-bells***************************************

Ayla sat down on the passenger side seat of an alt-mode Sunstreaker with a tired huff. "Hold on, Mikaela," she called out, "My cast is too tight and my leg's burning up. Gonna loosen the straps."

"Do you want your crutches?" Sunstreaker's voice floated through the car's speakers.

Mikaela back tracked, Wheelie in his RC truck alt-mode at her heels, "I think we've hit up most of the shops on this side of the mall. Want to drive to the other side and hit up those stores? I'll be easier than walking back next time we need to drop off our bags."

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea." Ayla said as she started loosening her straps. "And I'll take my crutches. Ratchet told me to only stay on my own two feet for an hour. It's been kinda longer than that."

Ayla's leg was healing quickly; she had always been a fast healer. She could lift her foot off the ground a few inches, and her leg supported her weight long enough for her to swing her left leg forward for her to take a proper step. It was slow going, and she still had very limited mobility, but it was progress. Ayla had long gotten over her fear that she would never walk again.

Sunstreaker deployed his holographic driver and Ayla settled into the passenger's seat. Mikaela leaned on the open door, "I don't think there is a parking lot on the other side, but there is free street parking. Just follow me." She closed Sunstreaker's door and climbed into Sideswipe's driver's seat. Discretely, Wheelie transformed and hopped into the passenger side. Bothe mechs roared to life, drawing jealous looks from the other mall patrons as the flashy cars pulled out of the parking complex.

"Remember the speed limit is twenty-five and you have to stop at all cross walks and intersections." Ayla reminded Sunstreaker, "And people like to run out into the street without looking, so be extra careful."

Holographic Sunstreaker shot Ayla a look, "Trust me; the last thing I want to do is hit another stupid human. I doubt I'd be lucky enough to get brig time."

Ayla rolled her eyes. Sunstreaker had warmed up to her a little since Sideswipe joined the group. He actually spoke to her in complete sentences and almost acted like he cared. It was an improvement and Ayla was finally getting used to his dry sense of humor; insulting humans was one of his favorite pastimes.

After a few minutes of envious glares, gawking, and dead-stop-staring the two mechs were parallel parked in front of a massive bookstore. The smell of coffee seeped out onto the street, leaving the humans' mouths watering and the mechs trying to ignore the bitter sensation lingering in their olfactory sensors.

To any passer-by is looked as if three people climbed out of the amazing cars. Two girls, one was on crutches with a full-leg cast of some sort, and one stunningly handsome young man who could have been a male model. The three conversed for a moment. The man pointed off into the alley behind him that made a path to some shops on the other side and had the entrance to the apartments above the shops. The girls made motions like they were going to go into the book store.

The three departed; a keen eye would have seen a small remote control truck following the girls. The man walked down the alley and turned into the doorway of the apartment entrance, and disappeared. A few gawkers swore they saw him open the door, men like that didn't just vanish into thin air.

But nobody caught that, they were too busy staring at the immaculate cars parked right in the middle of _their_ little shopping village. Even the passing car buffs had issues trying to decide what model they were. Whoever owned the cars had some serious money to afford those Lamborghinis.

Ayla and Mikaela were casually skimming the rows and rows of books while sipping their coffee. Occasionally they would stop and point out a title and jokingly suggest gifting the book to someone. They seriously considered getting a book on how to deal with idiots at work for Ratchet.

They moseyed to the second floor where they spent a lot of time in the teen section making fun of the numerous series that all had essentially the same plot: girl/boy meets boy/girl they can't be with for some reason or another, but in the end they do and live happily ever after. After their chick-flick binge the two had their fill of sickeningly sweet romances.

They were on their way to the horror section when Ayla gasped and practically dove down the manga section. Mikaela watched confused as Ayla picked up the closest book and buried her face behind it, just barely peeking over the edge. After a few minutes she sighed in relief and lowered the book.

"I didn't think you were so interested in the latest issue of …" Mikaela tried to read the title of the book, which Ayla was holding upside down, "…whatever." She laughed, "What was that about?"

Ayla put the book back on the shelf, her heart was pounding. "Sorry, I thought I saw one of my exs and we didn't end our relationship on a good note," she explained hastily.

Mikaela smiled sympathetically; she had been there, done that. She led Ayla over to one of the cushioned benches and both girls sat down, since Ayla looked like she was about to faint. "You know, if you confronted him he wouldn't have this kind of effect on you. I've been there before and it feels so good to get the last word in-"

"No!" Ayla cut in abruptly, "I don't want anything to do with him. I don't even want him to see me. It's best of we just leave it. I-I'm bored with the bookstore. Can we go someplace else?"

Mikaela studied her friend. She knew Ayla wasn't telling her the whole truth, but it wasn't the time nor the place to pry into Ayla's personal life. She would ask her later, both girls could probably share horrific ex stories.

(A couple hours later…..)

"Phew, I'm exhausted," Ayla leaned against Sunstreaker, having just dropped off her latest load of bags.

"Me too" Mikaela said, shutting Sideswipe's door. "I just have to get your gift and I'm actually done with my shopping. So you stay here and I'll be back in a few minutes. Wheelie stay with Ayla, I'll only be gone for a little bit." She hurried across the street and into a shop a few shops away from the bookstore.

Wheelie watched his "Warrior Goddess" with sharp eyes, making sure nobody caused her trouble. Once she disappeared into the store he rolled around bored. Talking out loud was out of the question, so conversation with Ayla was not going to happen. Sunny and Sides were blatantly ignoring the irritating little bot.

Ayla studied the few people left out. It was just getting dark enough for the street lamps to be necessary and everyone out was hurrying to their cars or into the alleys that lead to their apartments. She walked over to the nearest shop window, a music store that sold mostly bands that her father would have listened to in his youth. She recognized a few of the more popular names.

Ayla was leaning on her left crutch, most of her weight on her good leg, her purse hung loosely on her right arm. She was trying to remember any of the tunes to some of the old songs the sign in the window listed; she was off in a different world. Suddenly she was completely unbalanced and her right arm was jerked away roughly. With a cry she almost fell, but regained her balance quick enough to see someone in a dark hooded sweatshirt quickly walking away with her purse tucked under his arm. Acting on instinct, Ayla dropped her crutches and started chasing after the thief.

That was a bad idea, the loosened cast did not provide enough support to allow Ayla to run, and even with the cast on properly she was not capable of putting enough strength in her leg to lift it high enough to run or provide enough force to get her running. But the adrenaline was working its magic and Ayla almost made it to the thief, he was heading across the street to one of the alleys. He looked over his shoulder and started running away from the pursuing girl. Ayla sped up too. She had almost caught him when he decided he needed to sprint to escape the surprisingly not crippled, cripple. Ayla chased him across the street and was going to follow him into the alley when suddenly her world came to a sudden stop. Her foot didn't get enough height to clear the sewer drain in the curb. There was a slight pop, her leg felt like it was on fire, and her face met cement.

She looked up to see Wheelie tackle the would-be thief's ankles, bring him down. He wheeled around and snatched Ayla's purse back before giving the guy a good hit on the head. "That'll teach you to try and steal from my Warrior Goddess' friend!" He gave the guy a final kick in the side before he quickly zipped back to Ayla. He got there just as Mikaela came out of her shop.

"Ayla, are you okay?" she ran over and rolled her friend on her side. Ayla had some scratches on her face, and her hands were bleeding.

"My hip!" Ayla gasped, clutching her leg, "I can't move my leg!"

"What happened?" Mikaela asked as Wheelie ran across the deserted street to get Ayla's crutches. Thankfully the street was deserted, so nobody would see the RC truck turned tiny robot scamper across the street.

"Some bastard tried to steal my purse!" Ayla gritted her teeth as the tears started streaming down her face from the pain.

Mikaela managed to get Ayla up on her crutches and the two hobbled across the street. When they got across the street Sunstreaker had already reclined his passenger seat so Ayla could lie down, he was ready to go.

Before Mikaela could pick up her dropped shopping bag and climb into Sideswipe Sunstreaker was peeling out of the mall's streets onto the main roads, blocking all police scanners as he went.

:Ratchet, we have incoming wounded: Sunstreaker sent over him com. link.

:Who is it this time? And how? You were at the mall?: Ratchet asked exasperated. The twins _would_ find out how to hurt themselves while sitting in a parking lot.

:It's Ayla:

:What did you do to her?: the accusatory tone made Sunstreaker flinch, for once he didn't have anything to do with her problem.

:I didn't do anything! She was chasing a thief who tried to steal her purse and tripped on a sewer drain. I think she dislocated her hip:

:How long until you're here?:

:Fifteen earth minutes:

:You better be blocking the police signals for how fast you're driving. That's a thirty minute drive:

:I wouldn't make that dumb-aft mistake. Remember I was racing around the area with Sideswipe for quite some time without getting caught:

:Just go smoothly, don't jostle Ayla too much or it could cause more damage to her hip:

:Got it:

Sunstreaker came to a screeching, but smooth, stop just outside of the base's main doors. A medic team quickly moved Ayla from her seat onto a gurney and started pushing her towards med-bay. Sideswipe came up behind him and Mikaela clambered out. The two mechs transformed and Sunstreaker headed off towards med-bay before Sideswipe could say anything. With a shrug the red mech gave Mikaela a boost onto his shoulder and set off after his twin.

Ayla's screams were clear even outside of the thick doors of med bay. Her cast was removed and the human medic team was trying to maneuver her leg so it would go back into the socket. Their efforts were met with a fluent stream of swears and threats.

:I didn't know she could be so violent: Sideswipe sent to Sunstreaker, who had stopped right in the entrance of med-bay. He put Mikaela on the berth and stood next to his brother.

Mikaela stood next to Ayla and started talking to her comfortingly. She winced as Ayla squeezed her hand when the team finally got the joint to go back in properly. Ayla gratefully took the offered pain medicine.

Ratchet was hovering over her, scanning her leg. "You're lucky. You almost tore a ligament; that would have meant surgery."

"Yeah, I feel so lucky." Ayla's voice was acidic. She hissed in pain as the medics started cleaning her scrapes with antiseptic.

"What were you doing exactly?"

"Chasing down some bastard who tried to steal my purse. I was running after him and my foot caught on something and the next thing I knew I was on the ground with a dislocated hip."

Ratchet was relieved that the stories matched up; he did not entirely doubt Sunstreaker's word, but he was still cautious about Ayla when the mech was around. "And why was your cast not fitted properly? You know if you had been wearing it properly then your hip may not have dislocated. The joint is already weak and it needs all the protection it can get."

"My leg was hot, I just loosened the straps a little to let some air in." She was somewhat surprised that Ratchet didn't cover his optics with his hand and groan in disbelief. He looked like he really wanted to. Ayla shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time, especially since I was using my crutches."

"If I had had a credit for every time I heard that excuse…" Ratchet mumbled.

"Yeah, well, you know what they say, hindsight is 20/20." Ayla countered, "And in my defense, I wasn't planning on getting robbed when I loosened my cast."

"Well, now you know better," Ratchet scolded. "You have to be extra careful with your hip because the joint is entirely prosthetic, and your natural tissues haven't strengthened enough around the hip to support it. That's why simply tripping caused your hip to dislocate."

"I'll make a mental note of that: no running, no tripping."

"I'm putting you on bed rest for a few days. If you go anywhere it's in your chair…" Ayla made a sour face "… or you get a mech to carry you."

"Ugh, chair please." She cast a glance to the two mechs standing off to the side. Sunstreaker probably would not be caught dead carrying her anywhere unless he was in his alt-mode. Sideswipe might if she asked nicely, but she would honestly rather get herself around in her chair.

"This is going to set you back in your therapy, unfortunately," Ratchet continued, "we want to limit the strain on your hip while it heals so I'm recalibrating the cast's joint. Tomorrow when you meet with Dr. Hill he will tell you which exercises to go back to."

Ayla sighed; it would probably be another three weeks before she could walk on her own again. She knew her initial fast recovery was too good to last.

She was suddenly overcome with a wave of fatigue. She just wanted to go back to her room, curl up in her soft bed underneath some warm blankets, and sleep.

"I'm keeping you here over night as well." Ayla's "Oh come on!" fell on deaf audios as Ratchet continued, "I want to ensure that there will not be more damage caused to the surrounding tissue that may not be detectable until hours after the injury."

Ayla sighed dramatically as she slumped back against the pillows. The human sized mattress had become an almost permanent addition to the smallest berth in med-bay. Ayla hadn't been the only one to need it in the past few months.

"Besides," Ratchet said over his shoulder as he started organizing his tools and helping the human medic team finish cleaning up, "it's been too quiet here since everyone else went to Diego Garcia for training. I would have planned something had I known I was getting a vacation."

Ayla groaned, a night filled with "Story Time with Ratchet" always ended in Ayla knowing more intimate details than she cared to know about any one mech. The skeleton crew left on base was made up of all responsible mechs who didn't hurt themselves by simply being on guard duty. That meant no distractions for Ratchet.

Mikaela crouched next to Ayla, "Aw, cheer up," she said, and smiled, "Tomorrow I'll bring those cinnamon rolls we bought today. And Judy is bringing the rest of her Thanksgiving leftovers. She doesn't want Ron and Sam to eat them all."

"You tell her to save a slice of pumpkin pie for me. I called dibs on the last slice on Thanksgiving."

"She already has your name on it." Mikaela checked the time on her phone. "Crap, I've got to go feed Bones or he'll eat the shop. I'll see you tomorrow!" she gave Ayla a quick hug and hurried to the lift off of the berth.

"I guess that means I'm spending another night in Med Bay." Sunstreaker grumbled.

Ayla was having trouble keeping her eyes open. "Frankly, I don't care where you sleep tonight. That's Ratchet's decision." She yawned and settled back into her bed. It was not long before she was out like a light.

Sunny and Sides stood there for a moment watching Ayla sleep.

:She looks so angelic when she's sleeping: Sides sent to Sunny mock sentimentally.

:Hard to believe thirty minutes ago she was cussing up a storm. She's a fiery little thing, I'll give her that:

:Aw, is someone getting attached?: Sunstreaker shot Sideswipe a viscious look warning him to watch what he said. :Chill, bro. It's alright if you get attached to a human. Nobody's gonna judge you for that:

"Is she finally asleep?" Ratchet asked, sneaking up behind the twins.

"Just went out a few minutes ago." Sideswipe confirmed.

"Thank Primus; I was wondering when that sedative was going to kick in."

"Sedative?"

"We gave her a sedative when she came in, to put her under while we put her hip back. I think in the flurry of activity one of the medics used a slow acting sedative accidentally." He scanned the sleeping human. Satisfied she was fine he turned to the twins. "Sunstreaker, you can sleep in your own quarters tonight, but if you aren't recharging then you will be in here with Ayla. Sideswipe, if you aren't going to stay with your brother then you better be on patrol. I don't want to have to clean up any of your dumb-aft mistakes."

"What are you kidding? Everyone knows all the action is in Med-Bay. That's where all the best parties happen." Sideswipe grinned and motioned to the empty room, "Look at this place. It's hoppin'!"

Ratchet rolled his optics, Sunstreaker muttered "dumb-aft," and Sideswipe un-sub-spaced a giant deck of cards. "If there is one thing the humans got right it was how to waste a lot of time on one activity. Poker anyone?"

(Many hours later…)

Ratchet was losing … bad. He had run out of credits and in the last hand he had to wager one of his precious (and secret) bottles of high-grade.

"I don't get it…" he wondered despairingly. "How have I lost every single hand?"

Sunstreaker smiled as he shuffled the cards, "Because you have the worst poker face ever." The yellow mech was in high spirits, winning the majority of the hands, including some good high-grade. Even Sideswipe couldn't read his brother; he had blocked himself off completely.

"I do not have that bad a poker face!" the medic snapped back. Having to break into his secret high-grade stash and then losing some was making him grumpy.

"Alright, it isn't that bad," Sideswipe broke in, "but you do have one dead giveaway reaction when you have a good hand."

"What is it?" the medic asked, scrutinizing the twins.

"Maybe offering another bottle of high-grade in the next hand will loosen our lips." Sideswipe leaned back in his chair cockily.

"Not a chance," Ratchet growled mock threateningly, leaning towards Sideswipe.

"Alright alright, I'll tell you." The red mech leaned forward like he was about to reveal a huge secret. "When you get a good hand your optics light up."

"Do not." The CMO glared at the red twin.

"Do too." He said sitting up straight, a snarky grin plastered on his face plates.

"Like a sparkling with a whole box of energon goodies," Sunstreaker confirmed, still shuffling the cards. "Of course, Sideswipe has his giveaways too. But they're more subtle."

"Hey! We agreed on no cheating through the bond!" Sideswipe turned on his twin.

Sunny chuckled, "It's all in your face, bro. I don't need the bond to tell."

"I doubt that!" Sides scoffed. "My poker face is set like a statue's. You cheated!"

"I did not!" Sunstreaker set the cards down indignantly. He and Sideswipe were half raised out of their chairs ready to duke it out when Ratchet cut them off.

"Shut up!" he hissed. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Sunstreaker whispered.

The three mechs gazed out into the dark Med-Bay; they had turned off all of the lights except the one over their table so Ayla would not be disturbed.

There was some rustling and shuffling floating through the darkness followed by a soft moan.

"It's just Ayla shifting in her sleep. She makes noise all the time," Sunny said, sitting down in his chair.

Ratchet was not convinced; he strained his sensitive audios to pick up any sound coming from Ayla's area in Med-Bay. The rustling continued, more frantic. Ratchet could hear Ayla's labored breath as she gasped for air. She started muttering louder this time, the words indiscernible but their tone conveyed fear.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were paying attention now.

"That isn't normal…" Sunny muttered.

There was a louder moan and a solid thunk and then a rapid scratching of metal on metal.

Ratchet stood up. "Something isn't right. Lights on!" he commanded.

The moment the words left his mouth the lights flicked on, and a blood curdling scream filled Med-Bay.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. This chapter was just trouble. (With a capital T which rhymes with P which stands for- Oh never mind, we're not in River City.) I finished it about a month ago, but it wasn't sitting well with me and I think this chapter bit me in the ass about 5 times. But it's behaving now and it has been tamed and it's so much better than it was a month ago all thanks to my wonderful, amazing, superb, patient, and kind beta Vivienne Grainger! (Honestly, I can't thank you enough for putting up with the piece crap I sent you first and giving me such great pointers. If there was some way for me to send you a real cookie, I'd send you three dozen.) Thanks so much Vivienne!
> 
> More thanks to Sinead Rivka, JM-OC-JA, and Lambor Terror Lep for the reviews. To answer your question Sinead: No, but you did spark an idea in my brain for a little side story, or possibly a later chapter in this fic if I can work it in. So thanks! All three of you get (imaginary) cookies!
> 
> I can't say much about this chapter. I really hope everyone enjoys it.
> 
> Cookie to anyone who knows the song at the end of the fic without peeking at the disclaimer at the end. (JM-OC-JA I know you already know the song. haha!)
> 
> I do have one question to ask you readers. Would you be interested in another fic with Ayla? I don't want to give too much away, but it will take place 5 years or so after the end of this fic. I don't have the whole thing planned out, but I have a few half formed ideas for plot points that could easily be turned into a story. Would you be interested in reading it? Or do you want to see how this fic ends before you make a decision?
> 
> As always: Read, Review, and Enjoy!
> 
> -Becks

**Chapter 8**

Ayla's screams cut off as the mechs rushed across Med-Bay. Ratchet tore down the divider they had put up and started scanning the room. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had drawn their weapons and were also scanning the room for any signs of other life. Ratchet's optics immediately searched for Ayla.

Her bed was empty, the sheets twisted and the pillows thrown away. He heard her heavy breathing and found her wedged into a corner where the berth met the wall. She covered her head with her arms and was trying to make herself as small as possible, but her leg stuck out in its cast. Her heart was beating rapidly, she was gasping for breath, she was covered in sweat, but shook like a leaf caught in a storm.

She didn't look up when the three mechs burst in.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe lowered their weapons and looked at Ayla, confused. Med-Bay was completely empty even of a remaining energy signature of another Cybertronian.

"Ayla?" Ratchet called out softly, slowly walking towards the human.

Ayla didn't respond. She kept her head buried, her gasping breaths turned into stifled sobs.

Ratchet called Ayla's name again; she still did not respond.

The medic stood directly in front of her and crouched down to her level. He called her name a third time, and this time she slowly raised her head. With a sniff she wiped away her tears and stared straight ahead. She looked like she were listening intently for something, but her eyes had a glassy, unfocused look. Ratchet waved his hand in front of her face and she didn't notice; she just continued to stare past the medic and the walls of Med-Bay.

"Ayla," Ratchet called again. He slowly reached out to nudge Ayla, hoping to break her out of her delusion. He had never seen a human act like this, it was unnerving.

Ayla didn't react as Ratchet's massive hand moved closer to her. His finger was inches from touching her arm when she gasped sharply and her head snapped towards Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. The twins, who were slowly moving closer to Ayla stopped in their tracks and watched her cautiously. She wasn't focusing on them; her eyes still had that far away look.

There was a moment of tense silence as Ayla held her breath; her eyes darted around frantically as if looking for an escape. Suddenly with a soft cry she pushed herself away from the corner and started crawling across the berth faster than any of the mechs thought she could. About halfway down the berth she stopped and uneasily stood up, bracing herself against the wall. She tensed and jumped away from the wall. Ratchet expected her to jump forward and placed his hand to catch her, but she dived to the side, eluding capture. She hit the berth and rolled dangerously close to the far edge.

"Don't let her fall off!" Ratchet yelled as he hurried to catch the human.

Sunstreaker was a step ahead of him and had placed his hand in front of Ayla, forming a wall between her and the edge of the berth. Before the girl could move the other way he placed a hand behind her, effectively trapping her. With a furious cry she started slamming herself against Sunstreaker's hands, desperate to break out of her prison.

"I'm getting a sedative. Hold her for a minute. Don't let her hurt herself!" Ratchet hurried across Med-Bay.

"Easier said than done!" Sunstreaker snapped as he lifted his hand to prevent Ayla from slamming her shoulder against it again.

Ayla sprawled on the berth for a second before picking herself up to crawl away.

"Oh no you don't!" Sideswipe cut her off with his hand.

Before Ayla could move Sunstreaker cupped her in his hands, giving her little room to move. The frantic girl continued to fight, trying to escape her new cage. Her hysterical cries became coherent words and through her sobs the mechs caught "Don't make me go back! I can't go back!"

Sunstreaker was struggling to keep hold of her, and trying to keep his grip loose so he did not hurt her, but her constant fighting made it difficult. With a snarl he lifted his hands to his face and growled, "Shut the slag up and stop squirming!"

To his surprise, Ayla's efforts to escape diminished. Her sobbing quieted down, her thrashing lessened, and her breathing deepened and regulated, as if she had fallen asleep.

Cautiously Sunstreaker opened his hands to peer at Ayla; the human had indeed fallen asleep curled up in his cupped palm.

"Did she just fall back to sleep?" Ratchet stared over Sunstreaker's shoulder. The medic's face was a mix of concern and confusion.

"Yeah…" Sunstreaker trailed off, suddenly realizing how awkward it was to hold Ayla. He hadn't had this much physical contact with her since the night he hit her. Driving her around in his alt-mode didn't count in his opinion.

"Put her back in her bed," the yellow-green mech instructed, sub-spacing the syringe in case he needed it again. He placed the discarded pillows back in their place as Sunny deposited the sleeping human on the mattress.

Nobody said a word as Ratchet gently covered Ayla with a blanket and scanned her. She was unharmed other than a few newly-forming bruises; fortunately her cast kept her from further damaging her leg.

"What the slag was that all about?" Sideswipe finally asked, eloquent as always.

The CMO turned towards the twins. "I'm not sure yet. I've never heard of anyone just waking up and having a hysterical delusion for a few minutes and then falling back asleep."

"Well whatever it was it was crazy as pit!" Sides watched Ayla cautiously. "How do we know it won't happen again?"

The medic turned back to the sleeping girl, "We'll just have to watch her while she sleeps. It shouldn't be for too long, maybe eight hours. Ayla's an early riser by human standards."

Sunstreaker vented softly and walked to their abandoned poker game. Grabbing a chair and dragging it back, he turned it to face Ayla's berth and sat down with a clunk. "So much for recharging," he lamented, crossing his arms across his chest plate.

Sideswipe patted his shoulder apologetically, "Sorry, bro, want me to stay too?"

"Nah, I'll survive." Sunstreaker waved his brother away, "Hey, grab my winnings and don't steal any! I counted already."

Sides grinned mischievously, "Now, what makes you think I would do a thing like that?"

"Because I know you," Sunny replied, giving his brother a menacing look.

Sideswipe chuckled as he gathered up their winnings. "See you tomorrow, Sunny, Hatchet," He called over his shoulder as he walked out of the door.

Ratchet was too preoccupied with Ayla to throw an irritated scowl at the red twin for using his nickname. He gave her a final scan before turning to Sunstreaker, "I'll come get you in a few hours. Comm. me if anything changes. I'll be up researching."

Sunny replied with a gruff "got it"; he had a feeling this was going to be a long night. As if to prove his point, Ayla snored softly in her sleep, oblivious to the world around her.

Humans were so boring when they slept.

*************************************count your sheep**********************************

Ayla expected to open her eyes to the metal walls of Med-Bay. What she didn't expect was a mech's face hovering right in front of her.

"Jesus!" she cried out jumping back slightly, "What's your problem, Ratchet?"

"Are you alright? How do you feel?" The medic was clearly concerned.

"Well despite having a minor heart attack I'm fine," Ayla said, placing her hand over her racing heart. "My hip kinda hurts, but I figured that would be normal. You know there are better ways to wake me up than hovering in front of my face. Why does my shoulder hurt?"

She gingerly prodded her shoulder before rolling up her shirt's sleeve. She stared blankly at the large bruise for a moment before checking her other shoulder; it had a matching bruise. "How did those get there?" she mused, looking to Ratchet for answers.

"Human blood vessels tend to break when the tissue is hit with great force against a hard surface." Ayla gave him a confused look, so he elaborated. "You had an episode of some sort last night. You woke up screaming, apparently having some kind of hallucination. You tried to break through Sunstreaker's hands with your shoulders when he kept you from running off of the edge of the berth."

Ayla looked unconvinced. "You're pulling my leg."

"I am completely serious," Ratchet replied. "I'll show you. Look in that corner."

Ayla looked into the corner as Ratchet activated his holographic recording of the incident. She watched a girl huddle in the corner, clearly distressed. If she had not caught a glimpse of her own face Ayla would have found it hard to believe it was her, despite the obvious signs. The whole ordeal only lasted a few minutes, but they were an intense few minutes.

Ayla turned to Ratchet. "What was that all about?"

Ratchet looked troubled. "I was hoping you would be able to tell me. I've never seen a human do that before."

Ayla replied with a blank look and a helpless shrug.

"You don't remember any of that happening?"

"No," she shook her head, "Usually when I wake up in the middle of the night I know I'm awake. I don't remember that at all. And, honestly, I couldn't move like that if I was awake, not on this hip."

Ratchet's look of concern deepened, "I don't understand … you aren't chemically imbalanced, you have never reacted to the sedative like that before, you haven't been severely traumatized, and you aren't in shock." He paused for a moment, running through the diagnostics in his head, "I believe you suffered from a night terror."

"What's a night terror?"

"In simple terms, it is when you experience a nightmare during the wrong sleep cycle and you cannot wake up from it; so you act out your dream."

"That is very weird and kind of scary."

"They are uncommon among children, and rare among adults. Usually they are isolated, but they can be regularly occurring events."

"I hope it doesn't happen again."

"It still doesn't explain why it happened in the first place."

Ayla shrugged helplessly. "Maybe it was just an isolated incident. I didn't exactly have an easy day yesterday. Maybe everything just built up and triggered it."

"It could be possible. Hopefully this will remain a one-time event. You could severely damage yourself if left alone." Ratchet looked like he wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by Sunstreaker's entrance.

"Oh, good," Ayla said, peering around Ratchet. "Did you bring my chair?"

Sunstreaker slumped a little and looked irritated. "Slag, I knew I forgot something," he muttered darkly.

Ayla sighed; she was ready to get up and start her day. It seemed that she was going to have to wait a little longer.

"You could just carry her," Ratchet suggested, earning him a look of alarm from Ayla and a glare from Sunstreaker. "Don't give me that look. Sunstreaker, you are more than capable of holding her in your hands for the two minutes it'll take you to walk from here to Ayla's room."

"My chair is in my room anyway … in the back corner. Sunstreaker wouldn't be able to reach it. "Ayla sighed in resignation. She had stowed it there thinking she would never need it again.

The medic looked like he was about to speak, but he stopped for a moment. Irritation molded his face into a scowl as he listened to his comm. link. He vented heavily, "I've got to go pull Hound out of a ditch. Just carry her, Sunstreaker; your hands won't fall off."

Ayla took a deep breath as she awkwardly moved herself into Sunstreaker's cupped hands. She trusted him, but was still tense; he literally held her life in his hands. If he really wanted to he could easily drop-kick her into the next life.

Ratchet ushered the two out of Med-Bay and locked it behind them. He marched off muttering curses about squirrels and other small, furry creatures. Ayla looked up at Sunstreaker and shared a semi-amused look with the mech.

The two walked through base in an awkward silence for a few seconds, Ayla was trying to keep her balance – Sunny didn't have the smoothest gait.

"Well, this is awkward," she said after she had to brace herself against his thumb. Sunstreaker grunted in reply.

There were a few more moments of awkward silence before Sunstreaker spoke up. "Are your shoulders bruised?" Almost like he was concerned. Almost like he cared. Almost.

"Yeah."

"You shouldn't have thrown yourself against my hands like that. It was a stupid thing to do."

"I didn't exactly have control over my actions last night," Ayla retorted sharply. "I don't know what happened."

They turned the corner into the hall that led to the humans' quarters. Ayla's room was the first to the right, and Sunstreaker set her down right outside of her door. She had to support herself on his hand for a moment until he un-sub-spaced her crutches.

She muttered a thanks and hobbled into her room over to her chair. She eased down into it and sighed. She had hoped she wouldn't have to spend any more time in her it once she started walking again.

**********************************Hey, Mr. Spaceman***********************************

Two weeks later, it happened again.

It was just after midnight and most of the base's inhabitants were in their quarters already asleep or getting ready to sleep. The hallway of the human quarters was dimly lit only by the soft, amber glow of the security lights. One of the many doors slowly opened, and a petite figure stepped out into the deserted hallway.

Sergeant Robert Epps rounded the corner that lead to the human quarters with one thought dominating him mind – finally taking off his boots and falling into a coma for the next seven hours. His attention was diverted to a small figure limping hesitantly towards him, one hand on the wall for balance the other coaxing her leg forward. Epps nodded to Ayla and murmured a greeting as he passed her, but she didn't look up.

Epps shrugged. He didn't know Ayla very well, but in the few times they conversed she was polite and spirited, all in all likeable. _She must be half asleep,_ he figured, moving on to his room. He had passed her when a cry of pure anguish whipped him around and he rushed to the source.

Ayla collapsed and buried her head in her hands, wailing in agony. Her screams echoed through the quarters and faster than you could say "Decepticon" soldiers were flooding the hallway; body armor donned haphazardly over pajamas and wielding the first weapon at hand.

Epps hovered over the girl, unsure of what to do. Any questions he asked were answered with sobs. She didn't appear to be injured, but every time Epps tried to pull her hands away from her face she jerked away.

The soldiers spread out, hunting for a threat. A few of them cast worried glances toward Ayla before pushing on. A medic broke free of the crowd and hurried over to Epps. "What happened? Was she attacked? Is she hurt?" she asked, crouching down in front of them.

"I don't know. One second she's walking down the hall and then the next she just screams and collapses. I don't think she was attacked, but she won't answer any questions."

Ayla, who was rocking herself back and forth, started howling with renewed anguish and clawing at her face. After a brief struggle Epps pinned Ayla's arms to her side and the girl leaned heavily against him. Her wailing subsided to stifled sobs as tears continued to stream down her face.

The medic, with a thoughtful look, gently lifted Ayla's chin. She instantly recognized the glassy, distant look in her eyes."Night terror," she stated simply. She stood up to address the growing crowd of confused soldiers, "Alright, people, go back to bed. Everything is alright. There's nothing you can do. It's just a night terror. No one had been attacked. Just go back to bed."

There were confused mutters, concerned mumblings, and disgruntled murmurs as the message traveled through the soldiers. The crowd slowly dispersed, a few soldiers ran off to pass the message on to their scattered comrades.

The medic crouched down next to Epps. "I hope you're comfy. We're just going to wait for her nightmare to end."

"How long will that take?" He shifted uncomfortably under the girl's weight.

"It shouldn't be too long. Terrors usually last less than ten minutes."

Any comment Epps was going to make was interrupted by the heavy tread of mechs' feet. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker whipped around the corner, searching for a threat. More mechs ran behind them to check the rest of base.

Sunstreaker's optics fell on Ayla. "Not again," he groaned. He called over his shoulder to Ratchet.

"Again?" Epps raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Happened two weeks ago," Sideswipe confirmed as he stepped aside to let the medic through.

The yellow-green mech walked over to the trio of humans and crouched down, scanning Ayla. Optimus Prime and Ironhide stopped by the twins and watched in a mixture of curiosity and concern.

"What happened?" Prime asked.

Ayla unexpectedly choked out "The-they're all d-dead!" before she started sobbing again.

Ratchet stood up and faced the gathered mechs, "Ayla is having a night terror. Nothing to worry about."

Epps peered through the mechs' legs as others started wandering back and forth confused, wondering out loud where the attacker was. "Did she wake up everyone? I know her scream was loud, but not _that_ loud."

"No, someone sounded the alarm," Ironhide answered, clearly irritated. More mechs were gathering behind him trying to see what was happening in the hall. "Alright everyone, go back to where you were. Nothing to see here. Everything is under control. Get going! Move along!" he growled at them, shepherding them away from the scene before leaving for his own quarters. His recharge had been interrupted and there wasn't a 'Con anywhere to shoot to make up for it.

Prime and the twins followed the weapon's specialist and soon the only people left in the hall were Ratchet, Epps, the medic, and Ayla. Slowly her breathing regulated and she stopped shaking, within a few minutes she was deep asleep.

"Put her back in her room," Ratchet directed, as Epps and the medic supported the unconscious girl between them, "She isn't hurt except for a few scratches."

The next morning, Ayla looked at her perplexed reflection in the mirror as she rubbed a few spots of dried blood off of her face. She gently traced the red lines with her fingers already guessing how they got there.

Then her phone buzzed with a cordial invitation that humbly requested her presence in Med-Bay.

At least Ratchet was in a good mood, or somebody had already used up all of his good graces for the day and he was resorting to sarcasm to remain civil. Hoping for the former, Ayla grabbed her crutches and headed off to Med-Bay.

********************************Every Villain Is Lemons**********************************

Another two weeks passed and Ratchet had Ayla stay in Med-Bay for the night in anticipation of another night terror. He figured that when she started thrashing and screaming he or Sunstreaker would be able to go to her and restrain her until the terror passed. That was the night they learned they had to watch Ayla constantly. Neither mech noticed Ayla was up until she sobbed softly, seconds before jumping off of the berth. Ratchet nearly had a spark failure when he got there just in time to have her fall back into his hands. The fall from the berth wouldn't have killed her, but it would have caused plenty of damage.

The pattern continued; every two weeks Ayla would sleep in Med-Bay for one night; come midnight Ratchet and Sunstreaker would watch her every move waiting for her night terror to start. Sometimes she would be extremely violent, other times scared senseless, and a few times emotionally distressed.

Ratchet discovered that Ayla's episodes were considerably shorter and less severe when she had physical contact with a mech. Sunstreaker would gently pin her down so she couldn't hurt herself or make a wall with his hands so she didn't move past her mattress. Ratchet would pick her up and cup her in his hands muttering comforting words to her like she was a sparkling.

Otherwise, life continued as it normally did. Ayla continued her therapy and got stronger each week. Despite her set back, by the end of February she was walking everywhere on her own without crutches. Between night terrors Ayla and Ratchet would search for ways to stop them. They tried everything: waking Ayla up before it was supposed to happen (she would just fall back asleep and have the terror later), listening to music and meditating before she slept, and any other solution the internet would provide. Nothing worked.

Ayla always insisted she wasn't stressed about anything whenever the medic brought up the most common cause. Wishing to avoid medication, Ratchet finally called in a psychiatrist.

Ayla was just finishing up her therapy session with Ratchet and Dr. Hill in Med-Bay when someone Ayla had never seen before joined them. He was short and stocky and looked to be in his mid-fifties. His partially bald head was ringed with wiry gray hair and he wore thin-framed glasses. A white lab coat with a NEST patch sewn on the right breast covered his plain clothes, khaki pants and a navy blue polo. Without even knowing him Ayla felt a strong dislike for him.

"Who are you?" Ayla asked eyeing the stranger suspiciously.

"Mike Floyd," he offered his hand and Ayla shook it hesitantly, "I'm a psychiatrist. I-"

"Why are you here?" Ayla interrupted, suddenly guarded. She glared at Ratchet and Alan in turn.

"I specialize in PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but I also do sleep disorders. Ratchet's told me you've been suffering from night terrors for the past few months."

"Yeah? What's that got to do with PTSD?"

"Well…"Mike chose his words carefully; he noticed how guarded Ayla had become, "night terrors can be caused by a lot of triggers including stress, emotional trauma, or a chemical imbalance."

"I'm not chemically imbalanced!" Ayla snapped before he could continue.

"No, I'm not suggesting you are. It's just a trigger for night terrors sometimes." He proceeded even more cautiously, "Your night terrors could just be caused by something you're subconsciously suppressing. That could be causing a lot of mental anxiety that is manifested in your night terrors."

"I'm not suppressing anything!" Hostility was rolling off of her in waves.

"Ayla, please calm down. I'm not trying to attack you. I just want to help you stop the night terrors."

"Yeah, well your prying is causing more stress than the actual night terrors," she said, turning away from him and crossing her arms across her chest.

"Alright," Mike held his hands up in defeat, "I don't want to be your enemy. At this rate we'll do more harm than good. I'm not going to force you to do anything you aren't comfortable doing. If you don't want to talk to me then that's fine, but if the night terrors persist or get worse will you consider talking to another psychiatrist?"

"Maybe," Ayla spat bitterly, knowing she never would.

Mike turned to leave, "I'd like to help, Ayla, but if you don't want my help I won't force it upon you."

The moment he walked out of Med-bay Ayla whipped around and glared at Ratchet and Alan. "Why did you call a psych?" she demanded.

"It was the next logical step in solving your night terror problem," Ratchet stated flatly.

"Well you could have asked me before bringing him in! I _hate_ psychiatrists!"

"Home remedies weren't working and the possibility of a chemical imbalance is plausible. We wanted to be absolutely sure there were no other psychological triggers before we considered medication. Calling in Mike Floyd was the best option because he specialized in PTSD which can cause sleep disorders." Why did humans have to be so difficult sometimes?

"You think I'm crazy?" Ayla looked furious and frightened.

"No," Alan quickly reassured, "a chemical imbalance could simply be lower or higher than normal levels of sleep hormones. It wouldn't have any effect on you except for your night terrors."

"Nobody ever uses 'chemically imbalanced' in that context!" she spat as she stalked to the lift at the end of the berth, "They always mean insane!"

"Ayla, please give Mike another chance," Ratchet called out as she stalked towards the door, "We just want to know what's going on your head that's causing the ni—"

Ayla whipped around furiously, "There's nothing wrong with my head!" she shouted before storming past a confused Sunstreaker. The yellow mech glanced questioningly to Ratchet before following Ayla.

"Poor choice of words," Ratchet berated himself.

"Well… that could have gone better," Alan stated solemnly.

"I was afraid that would happen to some extent, but not at the level she took it to," Ratchet said, his irritation evaporating instantly. "I believe she had a past experience with a psychiatrist that did not end pleasantly." Alan raised a questioning eyebrow. "When she was thirteen her father pulled her out of school on the claim she was emotionally unstable - when she obviously is not. I think her view of psychiatrists has been skewed since then."

"She definitely won't talk to another shrink. I don't think we should try that at all," Alan mused, as Ratchet nodded in agreement. "If she's going to talk it's going to be with someone she trusts. I don't think she'll be willing to be so open with us for a while."

"Perhaps we should ask Mikaela to try and find something out."

Alan shook his head, "No, setting her best friend against her would be even worse. There is definitely something that she isn't sharing with anyone. We're just going to have to wait until she is willing to share. Prying will just make her more defensive and she'll just put up more walls."

Ratchet vented in agreement; he knew Ayla wasn't going to share if anything was bothering her. She was stoic most of the time, masking and ignoring pain, bottling up her negative feelings until they reached a critical point and exploded out of her. He still made a note to ask Mikaela to be open to any topics that might allow Ayla to reveal what she was hiding.

********************************I'm coo coo for Cocoa Puffs********************************

The young woman under discussion stomped around base, wanting to avoid people until she calmed down. Sunstreaker followed her at a respectful distance to the motor pool. She marched to the nearest jeep, furiously kicked its tire, and sat on the runner board with a huff.

She sat there for a few minutes with her face buried in her hands.

Sunny stood there silently until she glared up at him.

"What do you want?" she asked thickly.

The yellow mech shrugged. "Just doing my job."

"Oh," Ayla said softly, studying her shoes. She didn't know what she expected him to say, something remotely comforting, but then she remembered who she was talking to. Sunstreaker wouldn't care about her much more than to see she didn't hurt herself in any way that could be deemed his fault.

"Do you think I overreacted?" she asked after a pause. She needed to talk, even if the only open ears, or audials, were Sunstreaker's.

"I don't know. I wasn't there for the whole thing. You usually don't fall into fits of rage without good cause."

"I don't want them to think I'm insane," her eyes burned holes into the ground, "I'm not insane! I don't need some dumb psychiatrist telling me I am."

Sunny could sympathize, having had his sanity seriously questioned many times before. "What do you have against psychiatrists?"

"They ruined my life once. I won't let them do it again." Ayla paused for a moment, trying to decide if she was going to share the whole story. She settled for a short version. "When I was younger my dad had a psychiatrist friend who owed him a favor. After a little palm greasing his friend did a fake evaluation of me and deemed I was 'emotionally unstable' and had to be taken out of school. Well, all of my class mates believed that I was crazy and they started distancing themselves from me. After I was pulled out I lost all of my friends. I lost all of my connections to the outside world … I was alone." Ayla hugged herself trying to suppress the memories.

Sunstreaker tried to think of something to say, but comfort wasn't exactly his forte. He really couldn't sympathize with this as he had never truly been alone; he'd always had Sideswipe. Even when his twin was in the brig and their bond was silent he knew Sides was alive. Sunny knew humans didn't form bonds like Cybertronians did, that it was incredibly easy for them to walk away from a relationship and pretend it never happened. They just didn't bond the same way, and it was entirely possible for them to truly be alone.

"I hate winter," Ayla suddenly said. She was looking past the barbed-wire fences of the base at the surrounding landscape. "Everything is dead and brown and gray … and cold," she added with a shiver. "At least when I lived in Ohio when I was younger it snowed and covered all of the dead stuff. It was pretty."

"Well you're the one who came outside without a coat, and wearing a thin shirt."

Ayla was going to glare and snap back, but Sunny's optics were lighter and his tone slightly teasing. He was actually trying to make her feel better! "I needed to cool off," she shrugged.

"You cool enough yet?" Sunny asked, watching her shiver. He heard the soft clatter as her teeth clicked together.

"Yeah I think so," she said, standing up and rubbing her arms.

They walked back to the main hangar in silence for a few minutes until Ayla spoke up. "Are you going to tell Ratchet what I told you?" She knew the yellow mech had kept Ratchet updated on her complaints in regard to her healing leg and if she was or wasn't doing her exercises on her own. Otherwise, the young woman didn't confide much in him.

Sunny looked down at her, slightly surprised, "I was planning on it. I'm sure he wants to know the reason for your outburst. Do you want me not to tell him?"

Ayla bit her lip and thought for a moment before shrugging noncommittally, "Eh … it doesn't matter, really, if you tell him or not. He's bound to find out eventually. He'll probably make me tell him."

They walked through the large doors; Ayla muttered something about going to her room to warm up and hurried in that direction, and Sunstreaker headed in the direction of Med-Bay.

Ayla shut herself in her room, kicked off her shoes, plugged herself into her iPod, and buried herself under every blanket she possessed. She flipped to her favorite song, closed her eyes, and let the familiar lyrics numb her racing mind.

" _I know you're somewhere out there,_

_Somewhere far away._

_I want you back,_

_I want you back…"_

* * *

Well I hope you liked it.

Faves and watches are the sweeties, but reviews are the goodies. :)

Disclaimer time.

Transformers belong to Hasbro. The song "Talking to the Moon" belongs to Bruno Mars. Ayla and Dr. Alan Hill belong to me.

If people want to know whats going on in Ayla's head listen to the song "Talking to the Moon." It's beautiful, touching, and sad. I first heard it and it screamed "Ayla!" at me.

Until next time!

-Becks


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are in December my last chapter update was back in April. I have no excuse except Writer's Block is a bitch. I actually had this chapter mostly done in May, didn't like it, and it stewed for 6 months. I spent most of my summer thinking up tiny idea scraps for a future Ayla and the Bots story that may or may not happen. I've hit Writer's Block again for the next chapter. I know exactly what I want to happen, I just have no clue how to make it happen. Hopefully it'll come to me soon.
> 
> Consider this chapter my gift to all of you guys, my readers. It doesn't matter if you're new to the story or have been here since Chapter 1 I really appreciate each and every one of you. Happy Holidays if you celebrate anything and I wish everyone the best in the upcoming year.
> 
> In this chapter: Sunstreaker discovers snot and stops denying his true feelings.
> 
> Tons of cookies and thanks to my wonderful and patient beta Vivienne Grainger. Without her I doubt that this story would be half as enjoyable because of all the mistakes. Even when I self check myself there's always something small and stupid, but obvious to everyone else that I miss.
> 
> As always, Read, Review, and Enjoy!
> 
> -The Beckster
> 
> PS- cookie to anyone who finds my super secret hidden message and comments about it in a review.

**Chapter 9**

Sunstreaker broke out of his partial recharge stupor as Ayla started shifting in her sleep and muttering. He cast an unnecessary glance around Med-Bay; it was empty. Ratchet was in Maine meeting an arriving mech. He only let Sunstreaker in for Ayla, but not without very real threats of disassembly, a frame reconstruction, and a change of paint color should anything be out of place.

Sunstreaker scowled at the thought and turned his glare to the unconscious, twitching human.

With a soft cry, Ayla sat up straight, a pained expression on her face. She did not get up and run, which the mech was grateful for; he really did not want to spend the whole time trying to restrain the hysterical human.

Maybe if he just got her to lie down again she'd just curl up and cry. Sunstreaker gently took two fingers and tried to push her shoulder down. To his dismay she wrapped her arms around his fingers and clung to them like a drowning person to a life preserver. Then, to make matters worse, she pressed her face against his fingers and started sobbing uncontrollably. Sunny tried to remove his hand from her grasp, but when he pulled it away she continued to cling and was lifted off of her bed.

"Ayla, let go," he murmured, trying to shake her off. Her grip only tightened. He vented reluctantly when he realized what he had to do. He turned his optics to the ceiling and scowled upwards. If there was a Primus he had a sick sense of humor. _Ratchet_ was good at this; he would hold Ayla and pull a bunch of soothing words out of his aft, treating the human like a sparkling. Ratchet _liked_ to do that. Sunstreaker would rather he could just leave Ayla where she was and let the night terror run its course without any effort on his part.

The yellow mech briefly considered just staying like this until Ayla fell back into a regular sleep cycle, until the still sobbing human turned her head smearing tears across her cheeks and his finger plating and, _dear Primus what is that!_

Instinctively he yanked his fingers out of Ayla's grip, a look of deep disgust gracing his face plates. The human fell back, missing the mattress and hitting the metal berth with an audible thud. Sunny studied the string of sticky, viscous, mucus strung between two of his fingers with horror for a brief second before reaching for the closest thing to wipe it off, Ayla's blanket.

Meanwhile, the woman's sobs became shrill cries of torment as she curled up as if trying to protect herself from attackers. With a miniscule twinge of guilt and a large wave of irritation as the shrill cries started to make his audials hurt, Sunstreaker slid one hand underneath Ayla's shoulder to lift her back onto the mattress. As soon as he touched her, Ayla's cries subsided and she pressed herself into his hand. The instant he rolled her out of his hand her cries rose in pitch.

_Of course_ he thought sourly.

Awkwardly, but carefully, he maneuvered his hands to scoop Ayla into his arms. If she stayed curled on her side she'd fit just fine on his forearm, and it was really only going to be for a few more minutes. As before, the instant he touched her Ayla unconsciously pressed herself toward the physical contact, one hand reaching out and digging her fingers into a small crevice in Sunny's armor. Her quiet sobs continued and she started shivering on the cool metal. Muttering to himself, Sunny grabbed Ayla's blanket and laid it over her, managing to wedge part of it underneath her face to protect his armor.

Outside of his conscious control, a deep, instinctive string of programming initiated in his CPU. He felt his arm plating heat up to match Ayla's body temperature, and his arm moved close to his body automatically.

He sat on the free end of the berth and leaned against the wall. If he was going to hold Ayla like this until her night terror ended he might as well sit down.

He offlined his optics - _just for a few minutes, just until Ayla stopped sobbing,_ he assured himself. He listened to her cry and picked up on the rhythmic pattern of her sobbing and breathing, and underneath it all he felt and heard the soft pulse of her heart. It was similar to a Cybertronian pump, the human heart, but while his pump made a constant thrum the heart had a distinct 'lub-dub'. It was a strange, a little uncomfortable, but oddly fixating.

_Primus, it's been a long day…_ he thought before the recharge protocols that had been interrupted took over.

**************************************I wonder if…*************************************

Sideswipe quietly slipped into the dark Med-Bay. He had monitor duty at seven but wanted to see if Sunstreaker had spent the whole night in Med-Bay since he didn't return to their quarters after Ayla's episode.

On silent peds he crept around the divider that shielded Ayla's berth from the rest of Med-Bay. He froze and grinned wickedly when his optics beheld the sight of his twin and Ayla.

The yellow mech and the human were both dead to the world. Sunstreaker was seated on the berth leaning against the wall with his head tilted back, mouth slightly open. One arm hung limp at his side, the other was curled protectively against his chest plate, cradling a sleeping Ayla. Ayla was on her side, facing Sunstreaker, one arm acting as a pillow, the other pulling her blanket close to her, one leg curled up under the blanket and the other sticking out.

Sideswipe stored the picture to his CPU. This was going to be great blackmail, absolutely worth it when Sunny beat the slag out of him for it. The opportunity was too good to pass up, and it confirmed something he had been pondering for months.

Still grinning, the red terror silently left Med-Bay leaving its occupants undisturbed.

A few minutes later, Ayla's thoughts started running through her head before she could sleepily answer them. Why was her arm numb? Why was her bed so hard? Where was her pillow? She slowly opened her eyes half way. Why was everything yellow? Was this a dream? No, not a dream.

Her eyes widened. The walls of Med-Bay weren't yellow! She half sat up and looked around to see where she was and gasped in surprise when it hit her.

She was perched, rather precariously, on the arm of … Sunstreaker?

Ayla fully sat up and looked up at the still-sleeping mech. This was very awkward and unnerving. Ayla wanted down. Now.

"Umm … Sunstreaker?" she said quietly, hoping to wake the mech. No response.

"Sunstreaker," she tried again, a little louder. Still nothing.

Ayla sighed and sat up on her knees, facing Sunstreaker's chest plate. She looked up at him and shouted his name while tapping on his armor. It worked.

Sunstreaker sat forward quickly, his battle programs initiating. Ayla squeaked as she almost lost her balance, and just barely managed to get a grip on his armor before she fell. He looked down on his arm and saw the clinging human.

"Oh Primus…" he muttered as he gently removed the human from his arm. "I must have fallen into recharge while you were having your night terror."

"Right … well, um … that was really kind of awkward. I'm not gonna lie." Ayla stood there trying to work some feeling back into her arm, not looking at the mech next to her.

Sunstreaker grunted in reply, pointedly looking at anything but the human.

"How about we just say that never happened and never mention it again," Ayla offered.

"Agreed," Sunstreaker grunted as he stood up, working out the stiffness in his joints. He turned to Ayla, "I'm going to assume you would like a ride back to your room."

"Uh, no I can walk. If you'll just let me off of the berth, that'll be fine," Ayla said rubbing her sore neck.

The two went their separate ways after an awkward pause outside of the doors of Med-Bay. Both were eternally grateful that Med-Bay was empty and nobody saw what happened. That embarrassing incident could crawl into a dark corner of their memories and die.

*******************************anyone actually reads these*******************************

"Ah there he is, the cuddle bot," Sideswipe greeted his brother as Sunstreaker entered their quarters. He had been waiting all day to finally confront his brother.

"What?" Sunny replied, very confused.

Sides crossed the room and threw his arm around Sunny's shoulders, "Ya know, we were beginning to think you were a completely lost cause, totally incapable of any kind of affection towards anyone. But, I knew the truth."

"What are you talking about?" Sunny demanded, throwing his brother's arm off.

"I'm kinda jealous. You let Ayla touch you for what? Seven hours. And then I, your twin brother, can't even touch you for a minute. It's kind of sad. It hurts." Sides joked, placing his hand over his spark.

"What do you mean?" Sunny asked, turning to his brother and watching him cautiously.

"I saw you this morning in Med-Bay. You fell into recharge while holding Ayla during her night terror. I have pictures. It was precious."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sunny, when are you going to stop lying to yourself?" Sides dropped the humorous act and faced his brother.

"I'm not lying about anything," the yellow twin growled back.

"Says the mech who refuses to admit to himself, or anyone else, that he has grown attached to a human."

"I don't –"

"Sunny, you can't lie to me, and you can't hide it from me, as much as you've tried. I noticed the first day we got back together that anything concerning Ayla you hid from me, and yourself. I'm not stupid, I figured it out, and you didn't hide anything. When she dislocated her hip back in November you almost had a spark failure. Her first night terror, your initial thought was to defend her. You can't deny that!"

"I'm _not_ having this conversation with you," Sunny growled, turning towards the door.

"Yes you are, because you're not going anywhere," Sides grabbed his brother by the shoulder and turned him around. "Now stop being a stubborn sparkling about it and just fess up. Don't make me dig, because I will," he threatened, already using his bond to read his brother's emotions.

Sunny fumed for a minute. He felt Sides using their bond, but he didn't push him away. He didn't open up either. If his brother was going to pry it out of him, then he was going to have to work for it. The two stared at each other in an unrelenting stalemate and the minutes ticked by.

With a frustrated huff of air he finally caved. Slowly, as if the words burned him on the way out, Sunstreaker reluctantly admitted, "Alright, I … care about Ayla. Satisfied?"

"Not completely; because for some glitched reason you've been lying to yourself for the better part of a year. So aside from the obvious reasons; what else has convinced you that lying to yourself, will just make everything fine? Were you afraid that the universe will come to an end because you cared about someone other than yourself and me, especially an organic? Or everyone on base would short circuit with the realization? Or that Ayla would shun you and push you away? You know she's still convinced that if you could get away with it you would finish what you started last summer."

Sunny answered his brother with a cold stare. Sides returned the stare while digging deeper until he found the answer. Twins couldn't read each other's minds, as many mechs thought. Mind reading was impossible, though some mechs seemed to be able to do just that. Rather, certain key words Sides thought about would cause an unconscious reaction in Sunny's spark that lead to other emotions and subjects leading to it. This digging was an art and Sideswipe was its master. Unfortunately, it only worked between mechs who shared a twin bond.

"Your reputation?" he said disbelievingly, "You've been doing this just to protect your _reputation_!"

Without warning Sideswipe's fist connected with the side of his twin's head. Sunny barely caught himself on the edge of his berth, momentarily dazed.

"What the slag was that for!" he shouted, his hand curling into a tight fist, ready to return the blow.

"For being such a glitch head! You put up all of that just so people wouldn't think you've gone soft? Are you stupid?" Sides dodged Sunny's punch and quickly threw the still fuzzy mech to the ground. He pinned his brother to the floor by holding his arms down and sitting on him. "Honestly, what were you processing? Your slagging reputation!"

Sunny fought under his brother's grip. In a larger space he would have thrown him off in a second, but he didn't feel like destroying their room at the moment. Committing murder was beginning to sound very enticing. Maybe if Primus was feeling generous he would grant him the ability to shoot lasers out of his optics, like that freak Decepticon Shockwave could.

"Stop moving or I'll punch you in the face again. Break one of your optics this time, you stupid glitch head."

To Sideswipe's surprise, Sunny stopped fighting. Instead he settled for glaring death at his twin. Not falling for the trick, Sides kept his grip just as tight.

"Now really, Sunny, did you think that people would think less of you as a warrior just because you care for a human? You _are_ stupid! Nobody thinks that way except the Decepticons." Sideswipe was working himself up for a long rant. "I'll give you a good example: Ironhide. He would kill for little Annabelle, do you think that makes him any less of a warrior on the battlefield? No. And look at Bumblebee, do you know how many times he's almost offlined to protect Sam?"

"Don't compare me to him! He's just a scout!" Sunstreaker spat, as he fought for his freedom again.

"Regardless!" Sideswipe said, quickly pinning his arms back down. "Having someone to fight for and protect has made them fight harder. They aren't just fighting for the cause; they're fighting to protect someone else. You're under the delusion that it's a bad thing or a weakness. You're wrong. I don't know why it's taking so long for you to get that through your processor. It's not a difficult concept."

Sunstreaker did something he rarely did, admitted defeat. He finally relented to the only force in the universe that could make him – his own self. Sideswipe was right, for once, and he knew he needed to listen to his brother. He finally listened to his CPU. With a rush of air through his vents, Sunny looked away from his brother, his death stare softening to "maim and mangle." "You're right," he admitted. "Now what?"

"Well I've done my job, now you need to do yours. I think Ayla would greatly appreciate the knowledge that you don't want to kill her every second she's in your presence. Otherwise just be more open and social to her. Talk to her, more than your occasional exchange of witty banter. Have a real conversation. Have you ever held a real conversation with her? I bet you don't know basic things about her, like her middle name or her favorite color." Sides finally released his brother and stood up.

"Her middle name is Louise," Sunny replied as he pulled himself to his feet.

"You just looked up her file and saw that, you didn't know that off the top of your CPU."

"Why does it matter?" Sunny growled before his fist flew up and connected with his brother's face. "That's for hitting me."

Sideswipe grunted in pain, he should have seen that coming – especially from Sunstreaker. At least he still had the pictures of Sunny and Ayla to use as blackmail if his brother ended up being more stubborn than usual. He shook himself and checked for any leaking energon; that hit was harder than normal. His twin had a smug, satisfied glint in his optics as he scowled at Sides.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm tired. I want to recharge sometime tonight. Try and curb your murderous impulses and not kill me in my sleep. At least let me see the light of day before I offline." He paused as if suffering an internal conflict, "But that would mean my last sight would be your ugly mug … nope, I still want to see daylight. Don't murder me tonight."

Sunny glared at his twin dangerously as the red mech settled himself onto his berth and offlined his optics. He hit the light switch (maybe a little harder than necessary), lay down on his own berth, and offlined his optics, but his CPU wouldn't shut down and let him recharge. His thoughts kept turning to Ayla.

The human, in all her inferior, revolting, organic glory, had somehow wormed her way into his spark. He wasn't even sure how. She was practically useless, with no apparent skills and still on strict physical restrictions because of her injury. She wasn't a fighter, even before her injury; she was too small to hold her own against anyone and she shied away from physical confrontations like the plague. Mechanics and technology were foreign languages to her, so even when she was finally fully recovered she wouldn't be able to take up a conventional position on the team. And she was organic, physiologically inferior to him and simply not built for survival in a war, or even fit to be around Cybertronians. He had to be ridiculously careful when interacting with her. All in all, a nuisance and not worth his time.

Yet somehow, Sunstreaker was attached to her. The more he watched her as she healed the more she grew on him. Ayla simply didn't irritate him as much as other humans. Was she still irritating? Yes, but he didn't want to punt her across the tarmac every time she opened her mouth - probably because she didn't complain about anything and everything, like most humans. Many would have considered her stoic, but she just respected other's privacy and expected them to respect hers. She was determined almost to the point of being stubborn, but she was smart enough to know where to stop before she crossed the line by too much. She was brave too, in an unconventional way. She had nerves of steel and would stand her ground against anyone to defend herself. Pit, she stood up against _him_ and that was something some Autobots didn't even think about doing.

The young woman had spirit. A malicious spirit that sometimes exploited the fact Sunny _couldn't_ do anything to her if she pushed him too far. At least when Sideswipe pissed him off he could beat the slag out of his red alter ego. Sideswipe was right; even though she pissed him off on a regular basis he did feel protective of Ayla almost as if she was a sister and not just another organic.

Sunstreaker mentally scoffed at the thought of claiming Ayla as his adopted sister and pictured various mechs' reactions to the claim. Prowl would probably suffer a logic glitch and go into full stasis lock (which was fun to witness on any other occasion), Ratchet would lock him in med bay and spend a week doing a deep CPU scan to find exactly where his coding went wrong (which was never enjoyable), Sideswipe would be the worst with non-stop nicknames and heckling. Life with him would be pit.

His optics flashed online when he remembered that Sideswipe had pictures of him and Ayla from that morning. He cast a glance to his brother, already in recharge.

He'd kill him another day for those pictures.

* * *

I really hope I didn't crush any hopes and dreams of anyone wishing for this to be an AylaxTwin(s) story. I've always planned on their relationship being a brother/sister relationship.

Until next time!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap! Hey all, long time no see. It's been what? Three years since my last update. I sincerely apologize to everyone who has been reading since the beginning. I can offer no explanation other than Writer's block, and my Transformers muse up and walked out on me. Still no excuse for this chapter because Apparently it's been sitting completed in my folder gathering dust for years and I only just realized this. Not sure what I was waiting for because this chapter was done, the next chapter is half done, and after that well honestly I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to drag the story out. I do know that I'm getting close to wrapping up this chapter of Ayla's story, but in the last 4 years that Ayla and co. have been kicking around in my brain I have developed her story more and it is turning out differently than I originally planned all those years ago. As I said, I'm not sure how much longer I can pull the story out, I most definitely want to wrap it up satisfactorily, but I'm not sure of that will happen in two or three more hefty chapters, or a handful of chapters. I suppose it all will depend on my muse.
> 
> But on a positive note. This story is NOT abandoned (Yay!) and it has never been abandoned. It's just been... stewing for a few years.
> 
> So I'd like to take a moment to welcome back all you old readers from way back when, and welcome any new readers who have come along with this update. And I would also very much like to thank any and everyone who has ever left a review, followed or favorited this story, and especially you guys who dug this fic up in the middle of my writer's block-hiatus and left reviews or followed/favorited. Seeing those messages in my email always gave me a little kick of inspiration to keep thinking about Ayla and co. and remember they were still there and that people were still waiting to see how everything was going. Again, I thank you all.
> 
> So, without further ado (Because if I don't stop myself I can and will continue rambling on apologizing for my absence and thanking you all for pages and pages) I will let you all continue with your reading.
> 
> As always: Read, Review, and Enjoy.
> 
> -Becks

**Chapter 10**

Ayla took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the fresh, spring air. She loved spring, almost as much as she loved summer. The world beyond the concrete and chain link fence was turning green again, the days were longer, brighter and warmer, and her leg was doing better than ever, giving her plenty of opportunity to enjoy spring as much as she could while stuck on a military base. Even better, she stopped having night terrors. She was still having nightmares, but they weren't new; same old demons, same old nightmares. She decided to not tell Ratchet, there wasn't anything he could do about it anyway.

So, rather than dwell on her subconscious terrors, Ayla took to enjoying the new season with vigor. She was finally capable of walking without the use of her crutches or her cast and could go along at a close to normal pace with only a small show of a limp. Ayla exercised her leg daily with walks in the sun. Of course with new mobility came new restrictions; all hangars except the human residential and the recreational hangars were off limits, firing ranges, training grounds, and obstacle courses were off limits too. Not that Ayla minded, she really couldn't care less about any of the military stuff on base.

She still was not left to wander alone, which did not surprise her. She almost always had a twin trailing her. Sideswipe accompanied her most often unless one of the officers started breathing down Sunstreaker's neck about shirking his duties. Ayla enjoyed the red Lamborghini's company. They usually had interesting conversations ranging on topic from odd human habits to what the Autobots did before coming to Earth. Sideswipe enjoyed telling Ayla stories of his and Sunstreaker's "hilarious" pranks, he was gloating really. The young woman was shocked to hear that Sunstreaker actually had a sense of humor.

On this particular sunny Saturday in late April Ayla was trying to explain just what was so appealing about vampires.

"It's a bit confusing, but I'll try to explain it the best I can. In the beginning, vampires were blood sucking monsters; creatures of the night that perished in the sunlight. Their deadly nature, insatiable blood lust, and need for darkness, fed by people's natural fear of the dark, made them absolutely terrifying. They were monsters that preyed on beautiful, young women, got what they needed from them and killed them; essentially super-natural serial killers. They were monsters of nightmares and people feared them. And then they began to sparkle, and sunlight was no longer a threat to them. Vampires became tame and through that they became sexy and available. They were portrayed as rock hard beings of perfection with one seemingly insignificant flaw that could be worked around. Vampires moved from evil creatures that could be vanquished with some Holy Water and sunshine to desirable sex symbols that were virtually invincible. Sexy, ageless, indestructible; vampires are any girl's dream."

Sideswipe scoffed, "The way you humans act, you're just begging to get killed."

Ayla shrugged, "We are a very aesthetically based race. If something if physically attractive we are driven towards it. We are very prone to the "ooo shiny" reaction, as I like to call it. If we like it we'll go to it. It's how serial killers attract their victims, it's how salespeople around the world get people to spend ridiculous amounts of money on a new car or the newest smart phone, it's how girls between the ages of eleven and thirty are so completely infatuated with fictional characters that they'll commit violent crimes against someone who disagrees."

"Humanity is screwed," Sideswipe joked.

"Probably, but you have to keep in mind that we have never been exposed to any cataclysmic event that completely tears the world as we know it apart. Not on a world-wide scale at least. If our whole world was torn apart by war and life came to a screeching halt people would definitely realize that there are more important things to worry about than fictional characters, but life as we know it continues and people go on living as they do."

"You may have a point there," Sideswipe admitted, "What about slinkies? What is so amusing about a simple spring?"

Ayla took a moment to ponder. "I can't explain slinkies. Everybody loves them. Give anyone a slinky and they will play with it like they're unconsciously compelled to. I just can't explain it; slinkies are magical."

"Magic?" the red mech asked unconvinced.

"Sideswipe, eventually you'll realize that there are some things humans do that just cannot be explained, and when you can't explain it the simplest answer is magic."

"You're just saying that because you don't have a clue."

"Of course I don't. I'm not a psychologist. I just watched a lot of educational television when I was younger; my dad thought cartoons would rot my brain."

The young woman smiled up at the mech who smiled back down at her with a shake of his head; his equivalent to a good natured eye roll.

They walked for a couple minutes in silence before Ayla segued into another topic. "You know what I've really missed since ending up here?"

"Slinkies?" Sideswipe asked back sarcastically.

"No, playing the piano."

"I didn't know you were so musical."

"Well yeah I love music. I listen to it all the time, you know that."

"I haven't met a human yet who doesn't like music. I just didn't know you played an instrument, that's all."

"I've been playing since I was big enough to sit on my mom's lap and reach the keys," Ayla explained with a reminiscent smile. "She taught me how to play. She had the most beautiful voice. I remember she would sing me and Andrew to sleep every night. What was music like on Cybertron? Was it like Earth music?"

"Not really, at least not in the way of cultural prominence. Here music is everywhere and it's everything. On Cybertron it was kind of like extra decoration to add to the ambiance of a room. It was just there in the background for most mechs. It was nice, enjoyable, and sometimes even beautiful, but it never carried the same weight as music does here. You humans have messages, and tell stories, and put meaning into your music. We never had anything as deep as that. That's not to say that we didn't care about music at all though. There were mechs who dedicated their whole lives to creating, developing, and appreciating music. We had music critics and aficionados as well."

"I'm trying to imagine a world where music as I know it doesn't exist. What did you have in the way of instruments and stuff?"

"All our music was instrumental. You probably don't know this, but we are physically incapable of singing, and putting words with music is something I have only experienced on Earth."

"You guys can't sing?" Ayla looked up in disbelief.

"Nope."

"Huh. Now that I think about it, I've only heard you guys play back recorded sound not produce your own. I guess I never really thought about it that way. But I can't believe that out of the whole universe humanity is the only race you've encountered that's put words and music together."

Sideswipe shrugged. "There's something about organic vocal chords and their flexibility and the delicate way they function that we can't reproduce in our mechanical vocal processors. And humanity may not be the only once, it's just that I've never been around a developed society long enough to experience their music. Music was Jazz's hobby, not mine."

"So what was society's main creative output for deep meaningful messages?"

"Art, mostly, a lot of sculpting and painting. I'm pretty sure Cybertronian culture was more aesthetically based than Earth culture is; everyone and everything had to be beautiful. Good artists were like your rock stars, and they weren't limited to one genre either. We had star architects, frame designers, muralists, sculptors, you name it. Of course there were also the untalented who thought they could take the easy path to stardom."

"Oh, jeez, it sounds like our music industry," Ayla laughed.

"Yeah it does. Though I was never really into the art scene, I knew the big names and their styles, but if you really want to talk art you should ask Sunstreaker."

"Shut up, Sunstreaker is an art buff? You're pulling my leg. No way he's that cultured." Ayla actually stopped and stared at the mech trying to see the glimmer of mirth in his optics that accompanied a joke.

"I'm dead serious. Before the war started he was well on his way to ending up among the best. Of course he had to compete with a million other mediocre artists for attention, but he was a very good painter, he would have made it eventually. I don't think I've seen him do so much as a sketch since the war escalated past Cybertron."

"That's terrible. I'd kill myself if I lost my music."

"That's an awful morbid thought, especially from you." Sideswipe made a face down at Ayla.

Ayla shrugged and returned Side's steady gaze. "Well, I might be exaggerating a bit, but still. If I couldn't hear music ever again, I'd be absolutely miserable. Music has gotten me through the bad days, and I've never been more content than when I play the piano."

"Primus, even between such different species I still don't understand you artsy types," he complained sarcastically.

"If it makes you feel any better I can't comprehend how you stay sane without a hobby to help fill the downtime," Ayla offered, the smile returning to her face.

"I have a hobby." The red mech mocked indignation.

"Pranking people is not a hobby," she shot back.

"That's what you think," Sideswipe countered. He launched himself into a five minute explanation of exactly how pranking could be defined as a hobby.

Ayla let her thoughts wander shortly after "I'll have you know" and only resurfaced when Sideswipe called her name. "What's up?" the mech prodded, noting Ayla's melancholy expression.

The human sighed deeply and took a moment to choose her words. Her eyes moved back and forth until they settled on a crack in the cement three feet in front of her.

"I have to go home."

*********************************Bye Bye Birdie*************************************

"Are you absolutely sure about this?"

Ayla suppressed a sigh, she had lost track of how many times she had been asked this question in the last two days. "Yes, Mikaela, I'm sure. I've been away from home long enough." She pulled a shirt out of the pile on her bed, folded it and put it into her duffle bag.

"It hasn't been that long."

"I've been gone for almost ten months. I'm sure my father would like to know that I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere."

"I guess," Mikaela agreed, handing Ayla a stack of socks. "I don't know, I guess I just never got the feeling that you missed home. You never talked about it much."

"The night of my accident I got in a fight with my father," Ayla confessed, not stopping her efforts to pack what possessions she had collected during her time with the Autobots. "I was mad at him for a while because part of me blamed him for what happened. If I hadn't been so mad I wouldn't have stormed out of the house and into the street blindly. Once I was here everything was so overwhelming and new. It's almost like I've been at a year-long summer camp and I've just been so wrapped up with everything that home never crossed my mind. Now my leg is better and it's finally the end of camp and I'm beginning to remember home."

"You don't have to-"

"Mikaela, I don't belong here. Not long term. This is a top secret military base with alien robots. I don't have any special training or education that would even give me the opportunity to get within five miles of this place under normal circumstances. I was a casualty of an accident that they took personal responsibility for. I'm better now; I have no right to be here anymore. I'd rather leave on my own terms than wait for the day when a car full of government agents come to take me back." Ayla stuffed her last articles of clothing into her bag and tugged the zipper closed. She slung the bag over her shoulder and cast a quick glance around the room to ensure she hadn't forgotten anything. Then she led the way out of the room.

"Mikaela, you've become one of my best friends since the accident. That's not going to go away over night or if I move back home. We'll still be able to get together without breaking any federal laws. This isn't good bye for forever."

"I know. It'll just be weird not having you around here all the time. I'll miss you."

"Just don't lose my number and we'll be good," Ayla said with a smile.

"Sounds like a plan."

They walked in silence the remaining way to the common room. She had said most of her good-byes earlier. The mechs gathered consisted of Ratchet and the Lamborghini twins. The only humans there were Lennox and a couple of agents in dark suits who would escort her off base and back home. But first she had to sign her final non-disclosure agreement; the contract was ready and waiting on a table next to the group.

Ayla signed the forms with no fuss and Will Lenox confirmed his witness with his signature. When the Suits grabbed the file and her bag she hesitated. "Can I have a minute?" They shrugged and moved away from the group.

"I just want to say that it's been… memorable, and I really appreciate everything you all have done for me," Ayla said softly, turning towards the group. "I know that I've had my difficult moments, you know, the last ten months, but… well. I guess I just want to say that I'll never forget you, or my time here. And even though the paper I just signed says I was never here and I spent the last year living in a commune up north I – " Ayla paused, realizing she was beginning to babble. "What I'm trying to say is: Thanks for everything, I wish I could stay, but it's time for me to go home." She gave everyone a sincere smile and Mikaela one more hug before turning towards the agents. "Oh, and Sunstreaker," she said turning back to face the yellow mech. "I should tell you that being hit by you was probably one of the best things that's happened to me thus far in my life. I'm sincerely happy I had this opportunity. So stop moping so much, I don't hold grudges."

Her only reply was a scowl from her ex-guardian and a smirk from Sideswipe. She gave one final wave before following the agents. She managed to keep her composure until she was shut into the back of a black SUV when she finally let her smile fall. Ayla would miss everyone here, she'd miss being on the base, she'd miss the friends she had made, and part of her doubted whether she really should go home yet. But deep down, Ayla knew that it was time to return to reality. Going back home was the right thing to do now. She needed to go back for her father. She was a different person now. Things would be different this time.

The trip home seemed much shorter than it should have been. Ayla spend the whole ride in silence, preparing herself to see her father again and what she would say and how she would answer his questions. She had been given a cover story explaining her absence and her new scars, but she still felt like she needed to rehearse her lines over and over. Before she knew it, she was stopped at the end of a familiar driveway. Taking a deep breath she grabbed her bag and stepped out of the car. The agents barely waited for the door to swing closed before they sped off down the street. Ayla focused on her front door as she walked up the driveway. She noticed the muddy, green paint could stand to be refreshed and was peeling off the door in some places as she hesitated on the steps. Should she knock? Ring the bell? Walk right in? Her hand danced between the door knob and the doorbell for a minute before she jammed her finger against the button. A soft chime sounded through the door and after a couple seconds she heard movement in the house.

"The sign says 'No Soliciting,'" a gruff voice stated as the door swung open. The speaker paused at the threshold and the door banged against the wall.

"Hi, Daddy," Ayla said softly, giving him what she hoped was an apologetic smile.

"Ayla!" her father exclaimed, stepping out the door and wrapping his daughter in a tight embrace. "My God, I thought you were dead!" he led her into the house amidst a cloud of shocked babble.

Had Ayla bothered to take a moment and glance down her street at any point in time she would have seen a couple of flashy cars parked a block away. And had she looked out the front window after entering her house she would have seen a red and a yellow Lamborghini slow down ever so slightly in front of her house before speeding off. She would have seen the Autobots fulfill their obligation to see her home safely from their own protection, but the instant she had crossed her own threshold she knew she had to put them out of her mind forever.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been long enough hasn't it. Funny thing is that I've been sitting on this chapter for years (literally years) and it's gone through so many revision, rewrites, and complete "erase everything and start over again" moments that it's not even the same chapter I started with. Only in the most basic plot details. I actually figured out where I wanted this chapter to go a couple years back, but I've spent so long sitting on it wondering if I could even begin to depict what happens in a semi-realistic manner without turning it into a cheap plot device for shock and awe that's resolved in a couple chapters. I spent a lot of time wondering if I even had the right to pick up this topic when I have absolutely no experience with it. But in the interim, I think that I have matured so much more as a writer and a person to approach this subject more appropriately than my 18 year old self ever could back when I started this story. I hope I'll do this justice.
> 
> In other news, God I hope there isn't another year or so between these next few chapters. But my muse with this fic is so fleeting and sporadic. I might spend a week writing up one chapter, and scenes and pieces of others and then go months without wanting to look at anything at all. I seem to be on a roll right now, though, so hopefully this story will wrap itself up in a timely manner.
> 
> Again, I want to sincerely thanks anyone and everyone who has been here from the beginning, picked it up at some point along the way, or just started reading. You all are honestly wonderful.
> 
> As Always, Read, Review, and Enjoy!
> 
> The Beckster
> 
> And I don't want to blind side anyone: Trigger Warning: abuse and attempted suicide.

**Chapter 11**

For the most part, Sunstreaker enjoyed his newly reinstated freedom. Primus, it felt good to be able to just get off base without carting around any extra passengers. Regardless of his color choice, he was not a taxi nor would he ever be one. Unfortunately he was still being punished. Under Prime's orders he was equipped with a tracker that fed his location and speed directly to Prowl; if he ever went over the posted speed limit or broke any traffic laws he would be in the bring faster than he could say "traffic violation". Sunstreaker growled inwardly, he couldn't stand driving this slow. He felt like he was committing a cardinal sin against himself and all sports cars. Didn't humans invent them for the sole purpose of going fast? And here he was rolling along at exactly 25 miles per hour through a dark neighborhood and hating every second of it. At least he just has to cross the river, then he could hit the freeway and get all the way up to 65, joy.

At least he was allowed to go on patrol with Sideswipe again.

:Anything yet?: he commed over to his twin.

:Saw a couple raccoons fighting over a pizza crust, otherwise no: the red mech replied, his boredom evident in his voice.

:How exciting: Sunstreaker replied dryly.

The yellow mech threw out a broad spectrum scan, waiting for any Decepticon signals to bounce back. He huffed air though his vents in boredom. He saw the logic behind patrolling the city that neighbored the Autobot's mainland USA base, but he just couldn't imagine any Decepticon settling to hide behind some overweight, middle aged human's hedges waiting to strike. Apparently the Con's couldn't either because after three years inhabiting the base the patrols had yet to come back with any Decepticon sightings, and tonight wouldn't be any different.

Curiously, one signal did bounce back; a cell phone his HUD habitually displayed as belonging to the one human he'd spent the last three weeks trying to forget. His HUD automatically created a map pinpointing Ayla's location, which much to his annoyance was right in his path. Sunny briefly wondered what could bring the little human out so late and so far from her house before realizing that it really didn't matter. For all he knew, Ayla had lost her phone and it was just sitting on the ground until someone came along and picked it up.

He turned the corner – after coming to a complete stop and using his turn signal— and sure enough, halfway across the bridge, there was Ayla. Her back was turned to the road and Sunstreaker knew he could quietly drive past her without her knowing. Technically, ever since she gave up her status as refugee under Autobot care she wasn't allowed to have any contact with the 'Bots for the rest of her mortal life under threat of committing a federal offense and spending the remainder of her life in prison. So Sunstreaker was content to just slip by her. It was a win-win situation; Sunny didn't have to talk to her and she avoided a lifetime in federal prison.

:Guess who I just found: Sunstreaker commented idly, creeping past the human.

Her body language seemed off, she was hunched over the railing, caught up in her own thoughts. She didn't lift her gaze from the rushing river below.

He almost made it past her when she put one foot on the bench next to her and then pulled herself up to stand on the ledge. He stopped, an uneasy feeling settling in his tanks. He didn't hear Sideswipe's sarcastic reply about raccoons. What the _slag_ did she think she was doing? Ayla wrapped her arm around the lamp post set into the ledge and hesitated for a moment. She took a deep breath, Sunstreaker transformed, she took a step off the ledge and released the lamp post, Sunstreaker's hand shot out and caught the back of her jacket.

:Sideswipe, get your aft over here!:

Ayla gasped as she was yanked back and shut her eyes against the pain as she was deposited none too gently on the ground. Sunstreaker unleashed a solid stream of expletives; Ayla curled in on herself with her hands over her head and stare at the ground.

"Are you out of your fragging mind?!" Sunstreaker roared, finally running out of swear words. "Ayla?" Sunstreaker watched the little human shake slightly and bore holes into the concrete with her eyes. Did she even realize who just saved her? "Ayla." Gently he stuck one finger under her chin and turned her face towards his. "Primus, what happened to your face?"

One of her eyes was swollen shut, her nose was crooked and had been bleeding, the dried remnants were smeared across her face and chin, multiple cuts still dribbled blood down her face, and… was that a shard of glass still in the largest gash? Sunstreaker watched a flurry of emotions play across her face; recognition, surprise, pain, confusion, sadness, and finally shame. She met his optics for a second, squeezed her eyes shut, and turned away from him. Hot, shameful tears flowed freely and streaked through the blood on her face.

"What happened to you?"

The human only shook her head in response.

"Ayla, what happened?" he asked more forcefully.

She flinched and continued shaking her head. "Just go away," she whimpered.

"Who hurt you?" He demanded.

"Please, just leave me alone, Sunstreaker!"

The mech had never heard the human sound so desperate. "No. You're coming with me." He transformed and opened his door for the human. "Get in."

Ayla flinched at the cold command, but complied. She limped over and collapsed into the car seat. Before she could even settle or grab the seatbelt, Sunstreaker was tearing down the road, back to base.

He responded to Sideswipe's constant questions quickly, counting how long it would take for Prowl to comm him.

It took a whole five seconds before he was pinged by an irritated Prowl. :You better be chasing after a Decepticon.:

:I'm not, I have a medical emergency.:

:Then why didn't you call Ratchet?:

:I was about to before you interrupted me, Prowl. And I'm not hurt, it's A-:

:If you've hurt another human-: Prowl interrupted angrily.

:I didn't hurt anyone, I found her like this.: Sunstreaker shot back defensively. :It's Ayla, and she's in bad shape. Now let me go so I can talk to Ratchet.:

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It wasn't long before Ayla's eyes took in a sight he never thought she'd see again. There were a few mechs looming behind the gates, even in the dark she could see Ratchet's nearly glow-in-the-dark emergency yellow. Prowl was recognizable by his posture and his door wings.

Sunstreaker hadn't said a word to Ayla since the bridge. He was furious with her, she could feel it. She didn't blame him. She knew Sideswipe was following right beside them, but she didn't dare to look out the window.

Sunstreaker skidded to a stop just short of the other mechs and pushed Ayla out of the car, not hard enough to make her fall, but she felt the pressure nonetheless. A human rushed forward to intercept her. Dr. Hill looked tired and rumpled, as if he had been summoned from his bed to come intercept her. He studied her injuries grimly, knowingly, but didn't say anything.

"What happened?" Prowl demanded as soon as Sunstreaker had deposited his passenger.

"I caught her trying to jump off the slagging bridge," he spat after transforming.

"What? Why?" Sideswipe exclaimed.

Ayla felt four pairs of optics turn towards her and she was bathed in blue light as multiple scans fell on her.

"Let's get her to med bay first, and quietly. The fewer people who know she's here, the better." Ratchet turned and led the way.

Sideswipe stepped forward and stooped over to talk to the little human. "Ayla, what happened? Are you okay?" he asked earnestly, concern clear on his face.

Ayla looked into his worried blue optics and turned away, shaking her head. She couldn't talk to Sideswipe right now; she couldn't have him angry with her too. She stepped away from his offered hand and focused her eyes on the ground in front of her and put all her energy into her footsteps.

"Give her a bit of space," Dr. Hill suggested to the mechs before catching up to Ayla. He didn't touch her, but hovered close and let her limp to med bay in silence.

"We'll have to document your injuries," he informed her after they had been lifted up onto a berth.

Ayla nodded understandingly, but kept her lips sealed. They started with her head; Ratchet spent a good couple minutes scanning her, reading off his findings.

"There are shards of glass in her wounds… her nasal septum is dislocated, that will have to be reset… she'll need sutures… some optic blood vessels have been ruptured but there doesn't appear to be any damage to the cornea, retina, or nerves… minor contusions on the cerebrum, no lasting or deep damage."

Ayla knew he was taking visuals and scans and compiling everything into a report. He had done the same almost a year earlier. She had asked to see her medical files shortly before deciding to leave. Ayla had barely recognized her bloodied and broken body, she imagined if she could see herself now she'd feel the same.

Next they moved onto the rest of her body, Ayla gingerly peeled off her clothes, knowing her usually pale skin had been painted red and black and purple. Dr. Hill's slight intake of breath upon viewing the extent of her bruising was enough to tell her how bad she looked. She might have heard Sideswipe swear quietly, she was trying to ignore the other mechs in the room. She was bathed in blue again as Ratchet scanned her.

"No deep tissue damage or internal bleeding… three bruised ribs… shallow abrasions and lacerations on the forearms, some have glass in them and may require sutures… bruising on the arms appears to be in the shape of a handprint… sparse bruising on the legs… most of the damage seems to be superficial… there seems to be a repeated pattern to much of the bruising, what is that?"

"That's a boot print," Dr. Hill stated grimly. This was not the first time he'd seen a boot imprinted clearly on a person's bruised flesh.

"Is there any further trauma that requires examination?" Ratchet asked.

Ayla knew what he was inquiring to, she felt a little warmed that he hadn't outright asked her if she'd been sexually assaulted. That was _not_ something she wanted to come up when there were non-medical professionals in the room. She looked straight up into Ratchet's optics and stated calmly, clearly, and truthfully "No."

There was a slight shift in Ratchet's posture, as if he had been relieved of some fearful tension.

"Let's get your ribs wrapped up and then we'll take care of your face," Dr. Hill suggested. He pulled out a wide ace wrap and Ayla complied, only speaking to let Dr. Hill know the bandage wasn't too tight. He moved onto her face next, gently sponging away some of the blood with cool water. It stung as it dripped into her cuts, but Ayla continued to keep her mouth shut tight. She couldn't start talking right now; she couldn't encourage a conversation with the mechs. She didn't know what to say yet.

"Let's get that glass out first, and then I'll get your nose reset, okay?" Dr. Hill suggested. Ayla nodded in consent. "Ratchet, can you show me where that glass is?"

"Of course," the medic replied.

Ayla closed her eyes as bright blue pinpoints of lights dotted her face. She barely felt the needle prick as Dr. Hill injected a local anesthetic and squirmed as little as possible as he dug the glass out of her face and stitched her up. He made sure to narrate everything he was doing to Ayla in a soft, even tone. Ayla couldn't figure out if he was as angry as the mechs were or just saddened and disappointed, his voice gave nothing away and his hands were steady as rocks. With a quick count of three, Dr. Hill set Ayla's nose back into place; she allowed herself a small whine of pain at that point. Then, Dr. Hill went about cleaning her face again, this time with a dilute alcohol solution; it burned the non-anesthetized parts of her face, but Ayla gritted her teeth.

All through the process, the mechs were not silent. They were talking amongst themselves quietly and irritably in Cybertronian. Prowl was interrogating the twins. Ratchet was going back and forth between Ayla and Prowl. The medic spent a good half hour trying to wheedle a response from Ayla. He explained the seriousness of her injuries, he expressed his concern for her mental health, he reminded her that without good enough cause she would be sent to prison, he nearly begged for any kind of hint to the identity of her attacker. Ayla pretend she couldn't hear him, or any of them for that matter, but she could tell Ratchet was getting angry with her. She had never seen him truly angry before—irritated and annoyed, yes—but if the twins were to be believed it was a fearful sight.

Dr. Hill was working on removing the few pieces of glass from Ayla's arms, Ratchet was pointing them out, but the blue dots kept jumping around a bit as he continued asking Ayla questions. Ayla was ignoring him by focusing on the look and feel of Dr. Hill's tweezers digging into her anesthetized arm.

"Slag it all, Ayla!" Ratchet shouted suddenly, bringing his hands down hard on the berth on either side of the humans. "Stop playing this stupid silent game and tell us who hurt you!"

Ayla heard a defensive "Hey!" from one of the twins. She visibly jumped when Ratchet hit the berth and her body flew into overdrive; her heart beat rapidly, her hair stood on end, and she began to shake slightly. But she still didn't look up at the medic.

"Ratchet, please, I have to finish getting the glass out," Dr. Hill insisted quietly, neutrally. The mechs might have missed it, but he had seen, for a brief second, the terror on Ayla's face, he could feel it in her trembling hands. "It'll be alright, Ayla," he assured her soothingly. He wasn't sure if he had the authority to make Ratchet leave his Med Bay, but if he continued to scare Ayla like that he'd do more harm than good.

Ayla didn't speak as he finished fishing out the last couple shards, nor when he declared that she wouldn't need stitches. She didn't flinch when he washed her wounds. She focused on trying to calm her heartbeat and setting her face, but she couldn't calm her heart or set her face back to neutral. Not after that.

Ratchet continued demanding that Ayla speak to them, noting the growing angry look on the human's face. He could handle her anger, he could handle her shouting at him, so long as she let him know who had nearly beaten her within an inch of her life.

It wasn't until she was getting her wounds bandaged in gauze and tape when she finally found her voice. Ratchet had just finished one tirade and was working himself up into another. "God, you sound just like him," she spat bitterly, fixing the medic with a cold, betrayed glare.

"Who?" the mech prompted.

"My father."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_Why?_

That was all Ayla had heard from anyone in the last three days.

_Why did you try to kill yourself? Why didn't you say anything before? Why did you go back?_

_Why won't you say anything?_

Ayla simply didn't have anything to say. She wasn't going to defend herself and try to convince them otherwise. They had made their judgment the second Sunstreaker dragged her onto base.

She was crazy; a suicidal, head case that willingly went back to an abusive home. She was a glut for punishment. She was a liar. She couldn't be trusted anymore.

For three days Ayla had been playing mute. She had been confined to Med Bay "to make sure no further complications from her injuries arose" she knew it was only because that was where she could be under constant surveillance.

Ayla had her own "whys" she wanted answered, and she finally had her opportunity. Ratchet had been called away from med bay and he left her alone with Sunstreaker; apparently Hound had been forced off a narrow mountain road by a drunk driver and he was a little stuck.

She had been feigning sleep just to avoid any unwanted conversation with her guard while Ratchet was present. Now, she rolled over and faced the mech across from her. His attention was on the datapad in his hands, not her. She sat up and pulled her knees up, resting her chin on them despite the pain in her chest. The ache from her ribs was almost cathartic, it made her feel better; like poking a bruise just to feel the pain. She deserved it.

Her guard gave her a half second glance; she hadn't said anything in the last three days, why would she start now? She sat still for a minute or two.

"Why?" a soft voice, raspy from disuse, broke the silence.

"Why what?"

"Why did you stop me? Why couldn't you just let me die?"

Sunstreaker still wouldn't look at her, but he fell still and a heavy silence descended.

"I don't know," he finally admitted.

"You almost let me do it." It was a statement, not a question. Ayla knew any other Autobot would have been shouting at her the second she put her foot on the bench, federal regulations be damned.

Sunstreaker had no reply.

"Would you have let a complete stranger do it?"

"Probably."

"But not me."

Sunstreaker hesitated for a moment, as if choosing his words. Then he shrugged. "I know you."

Ayla shivered slightly in the cool Medbay, she pulled her blanket around her shoulders. A strange mix of anger and timidity settled in her stomach, she didn't feel like asking the rest of her questions anymore. She figured Sunstreaker would continue ignoring her so long as she didn't try and hurt herself. She wondered if she'd be able to see Sideswipe or if he had been reassigned elsewhere. He hadn't been in to see her since that night even though she thought he would. He was probably angry with her for lying to him for so long. Ayla realized that she hadn't seen anyone other than Ratchet, Sunstreaker, and a couple NEST doctors. Was she purposely being isolated? Would she be sent to prison for violating federal laws against interacting with the Autobots again? She didn't seek out the Autobots again. That wasn't her fault!

"I have some questions, since you seem to be talking again." Sunstreaker's voice cut into Ayla's musings.

"I won't answer them," Ayla muttered into her knees. Now it was her turn to not look at Sunstreaker.

"Fine, then shut up and listen. See I've been trying to figure you out. Because for someone who just a few months ago was vehemently insisting that she wasn't crazy you are acting awful irrationally." He paused for a second waiting for Ayla to defend herself. She had always been touchy about her mental stability, but she merely bowed her head and rested her forehead against her knees.

"Sane people don't jump off bridges. Sane people don't return willingly to their abusers. Sane people don't lie for months to people who are trying to help them."

Ayla flinched at the cold, accusatory tone. "You're right," she admitted. "I have problems." She still wouldn't look at Sunstreaker, but stared at the wall next to her.

"That was not the first time you tried to kill yourself." It was a statement, not a question.

Ayla continued to stare at the wall. "No."

"How many times?"

"Have I thought about it? A thousand times since I was fourteen." Ayla suddenly found the words coming out of her mouth before she could process and filter them. "Have I tried it? Four. The first time I was fifteen. I was going to slit my wrists. I put myself in the bathtub so I wouldn't make a mess, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. When I was seventeen I tried starving myself. I made it four days. I wound up in the hospital severely dehydrated. My father said I had severe food poisoning and the doctors pumped nutrients directly into my bloodstream. The third time was last summer. I had every intention of throwing myself off that bridge." Tears were streaming down Ayla's face. "But then, I heard you tearing through the neighborhood. I could tell you were going too fast and when you turned onto my street I thought that it would be impossible to survive a hit like that so I ran out in front of you... Imagine my surprise when I woke up again. And then, the other day I went back to the bridge. It seemed like the best option because of all the rain we had. The river was full of water so if the fall didn't kill me…" Ayla trailed off and attempted to stop her tears with the corner of her blanket.

Why was all of this coming out now? She'd been diligent at keeping that aspect of her life from the Autobots, but one statement from Sunstreaker and she was spilling her darkest secrets. What was wrong with her? It actually almost felt good to actually say those words, like some mental pressure was being relieved, but at the same time, she felt like she was betraying herself, condemning herself.

A sick feeling settled in Sunstreaker's tank. How had they not noticed? The concept of self-termination was alien to the 'Bots, but how had he not noticed that something was wrong with Ayla? Humans were open and emotional and expressive and easy to read. They should have noticed that.

"Why?" He asked.

Ayla had staunched her tears for the moment, but when she spoke her voice was low and thick. "My father has always been a raging alcoholic and a belligerent drunk. When he met my mother, he sobered up, swore off alcohol, didn't touch it for years. She didn't drink and it was his show of love to her that he wouldn't drink either. My father adored my mother, and Andrew and I were the light of his life. When my father was sober he was a caring, gentle, loving man. He was the best. But when mom and Andrew died he… he never got over it. He uprooted us, moved us out here, and crawled into a bottle and never came out. After that it was a daily struggle to see if my father would be drunk and angry or just depressed. For the first few years he was mostly depressed, but as time went one he…"

"He began beating you."

"No, he just became angry and bitter. He didn't hurt me unless I did something wrong. The first time he really hurt me I was twelve, I had failed a test even though I told him I had spent the whole night before studying when I was really reading. I shouldn't have lied to him. As I got older it only got worse because I kept trying to fight him. I kept trying to get the same life that my friends had, but instead I only got more rules and restrictions."

"Is that why he pulled you out of school?"

Ayla smiled bitterly. "Kind of. When I was in eighth grade I had my first real boyfriend. He was a year older than me, he was in high school, his name was Jonathan. And when my father found out, well his views on women have always been somewhat medieval. I think after what happened to my mother he wanted to always control and protect me, so my dating anyone, especially an older boy, was completely out of the question. At that point, I was completely in love with Jonathan, I thought we were soulmates. When my father ordered me to never see him again, I was so angry with him. I wanted to show my father that he couldn't control me. So I snuck out to see Jonathan one night, I asked him to take my virginity because I knew it would make my father angry. His mother walked in on us. I never saw him again. I wound up in the ER because of that. My father told them that I had fallen out of a tree earlier that day and then when I was walking upstairs to go to bed I had blacked out for a moment and fell down the stairs. He hadn't lied about the stairs, given he did throw me down them rather than my falling down by accident. After that he decided that the public school system was too much of a bad influence on me. So he pulled me out of school."

"You were homeschooled."

Ayla shook her head, as she spoke her expression turned impassive and it seemed as if she was talking automatically, like from a trance. "The only thing I learned after that was my place in the world. I was to be locked away at home, cloistered for my protection, keeping the house until my father decided he was ready to give me up. Every aspect of my life was controlled, the music I could listen to, what I was allowed to watch on TV, what I was allowed to do on the computer, even the food I could eat and the books I could read. As a professor he knew enough to fake my education for the official forms. From then everything turned south. My father became more and more violent; he began hitting me even when I hadn't made him angry. He never let me forget that I was unclean, and a dirty slut for what I had done. He never forgave me for it. And with David on his side… David was always devoted to him, he's not all there to begin with, and since my father has been his only parent he'll do anything for him. He was my prison guard when my father had to go to work. In some ways he was worse than my father. I spent a lot of days locked in my room with no food or water. Sometimes he locked me in the attic. He would do things to purposely terrify me, he loved making spiders crawl on me. He would hurt me too if I got too cheeky. For a while I tried fighting my father, I thought that if I was awful enough he'd let me go back to school. But I only ended up getting hurt more. Since I was locked up in the house nobody would see my cuts and bruises, and he was always careful to never hurt me so bad that I would have to go to the hospital again. I tried to run away a few times, but he always found me before I got too far."

Had Ayla bothered to look up at any point she would have seen an alarmingly dark look on Sunstreaker's face plates. But she plodded on, she couldn't stop herself now.

"But then I woke up here and I realized that I finally had an out. I finally had an opportunity to leave my father behind. And for a few months I held the stupid notion that I would never have to go back. But then I saw my father again, that one day when I dislocated my hip. And I began reliving my worst memories in my dreams. I knew exactly what was wrong with me back then, and I didn't want anyone else to find out. I had begun to think, that I was becoming strong enough to really fight him, to stand up for myself, and stop his controlling me. I built myself up over months and months and when I went home I had a plan ready. I was going to go to him and demand that he allow me to finish my education, demand that he could no longer keep me locked away like a princess in a tower. I was going to tell him him that he would have to let me get a job and save up some money so that I could move out on my own. I was so determined. And then I actually went home. After a couple days it was as if I had never left, as if nothing was different. I tried talking to him about my plans, but he kept brushing me off, saying we'd talk later. And then the other day I decided I wouldn't rest until I had an answer. I should have known better, he'd been drinking vodka and he's always most violent when he drinks vodka. I pushed him too far and he lost it and he made very clear to me that I would never be able to escape him and the remainder of my life would be spent dodging his drunken blows and stepping on eggshells around him. And I realized the truth in his words. I will never escape him in life. And so I waited for him and David to pass out at the kitchen table… I left a note for him on my pillow."

"I still don't understand why you ever went back."

"Because… because he's my daddy." Ayla's voice broke. "I know that he still loves me. When he isn't too drunk he's almost like from before. He doesn't always mean to hurt me, he just can't control himself and I usually mess something up. And I … I didn't want to hurt him. My mother's death ruined him and even though I know he favored Andrew, I know that never hearing from me again would be just as hard on him. He's all I have left. I'd never make it on my own. I need him too."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Halfway across the base, Sideswipe was stuck doing busy work again. The officers had been keeping him particularly busy ever since Ayla was brought back. He wasn't allowed to see her and the only way they could ensure he didn't go breaking into Med Bay was to have an officer's eye on him every minute of the day. At least Sunny was allowed into Med Bay, and he was giving Sideswipe regular updates.

He was stuck in the armory doing inventory with Ironhide today, and it was going painfully slow. Ironhide was attempting to pass the time by telling an old story from Cybertron while he worked, but Sideswipe had heard this particular tale so many times he had almost memorized it.

Lucky for him, a ping from Sunny broke through Ironhide's monotonous tale.

:Thank Primus, I'm about to die of boredom: He complained instantly.

:Ayla's talking, shut up and listen: Sunny's reply was curt, and angry. Sideswipe wondered what she could possibly be saying to make Sunny so angry it was transferring over their bond so quickly. But he shut his mouth and listened to the recording of Ayla's voice Sunny was relaying.

As Ayla talked, Sunny got angrier, which only fed Sideswipe's growing fury.

After some minutes, Ironhide realized Sideswipe wasn't paying attention to the task at hand and he'd left the mech behind as he moved along. "Sideswipe!" he barked at the red mech, marching up to him. Then he took notice of the alarming expression on his face. "Hey, what's goin' on kid?" He tapped Sideswipe's shoulder sharply to break him out of whatever reverie he'd fallen into. "You're looking particularly homicidal."

"Yeah, well I'm feeling homicidal," he snapped before turning to the doors. "I'm going to med bay."

"Like pit you are, Prime gave strict orders." Ironhide chased after him.

"Ayla's talking. I'm going." Sides stated before transforming two steps out the door and tearing across base.

Ironhide swore fluently and chased after him. Primus knew what the girl was saying, but it wouldn't end well for anyone if someone didn't intervene. He pinged Prowl on the way over, telling him to get to Med Bay on the double.

Prowl had beat Sideswipe to Med Bay by a few seconds, Ironhide followed on his heels. He looked around quickly. Sunstreaker was standing halfway across the room away from the human with the crushed remains of a datapad in his hands. Ayla was sitting up with her head pressed into her knees making distressing keening noises.

The red mech stepped over to the human and attempted to calm her, but she flinched away from his touch.

"What the slag did you say to her?" Ironhide demanded.

"It's not what I said, it's what she said," Sunstreaker shot back coldly. He shot a look to his distraught human. "Let's step outside; I don't think she wants to hear it again."

"We can't leave her alone," Prowl reminded him.

"Go, I've already heard it," Sideswipe said tightly, looking up from his attempts to comfort the human.

The officers shared a look before leading Sunstreaker into the hall. They waited until the door fully closed behind them.

"Alright, Sunstreaker, let's hear it," Ironhide prompted.

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well look at that, it's only been like what 5 months since the last chapter? That's probably some kind of record for me (at least in recent years).
> 
> I don't have a whole lot to say about this chapter. Ayla starts her road to recovery and the Autobots do their best but in the end fail spectacularly in the realm of "trying to help this traumatized human teenager."
> 
> We'll get back to funsies soon, I promise. Until then, enjoy your homicidal twin feels.
> 
> And I really do appreciate you readers. Those oldies still hanging around for the ride, you new readers, those of you who like and follow and review, and even you quiet readers. I know you're there and I appreciate each and every one of you.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story, let me know. Even if it's just a couple words. It makes me write a little faster.
> 
> As Always, Read, Review, and Enjoy!
> 
> The Beckster

**Chapter 12**

"How can she be so stupid?" Sideswipe raged, pacing back and forth before Prowl's desk. Sunstreaker, while sharing his twin's anger, stood off to one side with his arms folded tightly. Across from them Prowl sat at his desk with his usual, neutral expression. Ratchet at least had the decency to look almost as angry as the twins felt.

The poor JAG officer standing on Prowl's desk looked equally displeased over the report she had just given. "I'm sorry, but unless Miss Catagiry changes her mind and presses charges against her father and brother there's nothing we can do."

"I don't see why not. We have photographic evidence of her injuries; we have a recording of her telling us what happened. Why isn't her father in jail?" Sideswipe demanded.

"All of that information is classified above Top Secret, Sideswipe. _We_ can't take that to the local police." Prowl reminded the red mech.

"Believe me, I wish there was another way around it," Major Prendergast stated, " but in this particular circumstance with you two being the only witnesses to her confession we can't do anything without breaking ten different federal laws. That would tie us up completely. There'd be an investigation, Miss Catagiry would most likely end up in prison, and her father would know nothing of it. He'd continue to walk around freely without a care in the world. Unfortunately that's the way the system is going to work around you guys. You cannot get involved."

"Well it's a stupid and broken system."

"I won't argue with you there. Domestic abuse is never easy to prosecute, military of civilian. People generally tend to more readily believe the abuser than the victim, especially if the abuse has been going on for years. People like to think they would notice if something was really wrong. But your hands are tied, my hands are tied. Unless Miss Catagiry confides in a civilian and they can freely walk into the police station and report their suspicions of abuse nothing can be done."

"There has to be something we can do," Sideswipe insisted.

"I've searched as deep as I possibly can for an answer. I went up to the very top of my division and nobody could come up with a legal solution. Your best bet is to help her heal, get her psychiatric help, non-military, if possible. I was told she didn't agree with the last army psychologist you offered her. See if she'll connect better with a civilian one, a woman if you can. I've noticed that most domestic abuse victims tend to bond better with women. If she can heal and work past her psychological blocks there may be a time when she is ready to face her father and press charges."

"Oh "may be" that's very reassuring, thanks."

"Sideswipe," both Prowl and Ratchet growled in warning.

"I'm sorry there's not more I can do, but this is all up to Miss Catagiry." She turned back to Prowl and Ratchet. "Thank you for your time, I'll take my leave now." She readjusted the folder in her hands and headed towards the ladder off Prowl's desk.

The SIC rose and followed her across the room, opening the door for her. "Thank you, Major Prendergast," he offered as a farewell before the door slid shut behind her.

"I suppose shooting the fragger is out of the question," Sunstreaker growled.

"Unfortunately, yes," Ratchet replied, matching the yellow twin's tone.

"Speaking of which, you two are expressly forbidden from going within five klicks of his house; Prime's orders. He also ordered that Ayla is to remain isolated in Med Bay until we can work something out with the government representatives that does not include her being sent to federal prison for the rest of her life. She's not to see anyone other than Prime, myself, Ratchet, you two, and approved NEST personnel until Prime says otherwise."

"Oh, well if we're locking her away why don't we just throw her in the brig and be done with it," Sideswipe spat.

"It's not a punishment, it's a loophole," Prowl explained. "Right now, she hasn't broken any laws because you brought her to base and we are keeping her here as a medical emergency and, technically, against her will. The moment we let her leave Med Bay she is actively seeking us out and that is where she breaks the law. She has to stay confined to Med Bay and she cannot interact with anyone else. Do you understand?" Prowl fixed the twins with a steady look.

"Yes," they both replied.

"Good, then you may go." Prowl dismissed them. "Sideswipe I believe Ironhide was looking for you."

"Ironhide can wait, I'm going to the gun range. I need to shoot something." Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stormed out of the office before either officer could get another word in.

"Good, they can go work off some of their frustration." Ratchet commented. "Their angry looming in Med Bay isn't helping Ayla open up. She hasn't said a word since she talked to Sunstreaker."

"Yes, because you never loom angrily over your patients, Ratchet," Prowl remarked pulling a datapad out of subspace.

"Glitch-headed mechs can handle it, Ayla not so much. That JAG officer was right, she needs psychiatric help."

"I agree, and it has to be on base. If she leaves base we lose custody of her and we're back to being unable to contact her in any way. It would be irresponsible to let her go freely in the mental state she's in. But we also can't bring in any help from the outside, not unless our regulations get changed. We can make a proposal, but that decision will ultimately be dependent upon the Board of Directors."

"Prime could probably get them to agree to it, along with having them lift Ayla's current restrictions, but that will take time. I don't want her to go that long without psychiatric help."

"No, she should receive treatment as quickly as possible. I'm drafting an appeal on Ayla's behalf to present to the Board. You should search through the available NEST personnel and see if there are any other psychiatrists Ayla would find agreeable."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The gun range was mostly obscured by a thick blanket of smoke and dust, a solid layer of debris littered the ground. It was deserted save for three mechs; anyone else who had been present bade a hasty retreat when those three started letting out their frustrations.

"You know, people used to get executed for that back on Cybertron," Sideswipe spat out as he picked a drone out of the sky.

"Not in your lifetimes," Ironhide shot back before taking out two more drones. "The last judicial execution happened when I was still a youngling. Your creators weren't even sparked yet."

"I remember a few executions before the war started," Sunstreaker insisted.

"Those weren't judicial. Those were vengeful family members of the victims hunting the abuser down, dragging them out into the street, and shooting them."

"Same difference," Sideswipe added taking a shot at the last drone. He missed, but Sunstreaker picked it off a second later. "Is that it?" He looked around for any drone that may have managed to miss their wrath, there weren't any. "Well that didn't help, I still don't feel any better."

"Maybe because obliterating drones, while fun and cathartic, isn't what you actually need to do," Ironhide commented, locking his cannons down.

"Well I know what I'd like to do, but until someone decides to stop pretending she's a mute I can't do anything to help her feel better," Sideswipe groused, kicking away a couple pieces of debris.

"That's a load of slag, and you know it," Ironhide barked at him. "For one, she's not the only person to ever throw a fit and fall mute for a time, you two nearly mastered that art form when you were younger; so if she wants to stew then you let her stew until she's ready to talk. Second, I know for a fact that you aren't exactly making Med Bay a particularly friendly and talkative place. Looming over her all hours like a couple of red and yellow storm clouds, I wouldn't want to talk to you either, especially with that look on your face plates. And you've been wearing those scowls ever since you brought her back."

Both the twins shifted on their peds; Ironhide was right.

"And you two have to remember that she's only human, and a young one at that. Humans are very sensitive to the atmosphere around them. They pick up on anger and hostility very easily, and given the mental state Ayla's in she probably thinks everything is directed at her. She's probably drowning in stress right now and you two aren't helping."

"How do you know all this?" Sideswipe asked, wondering if the weapons specialist was just pulling things out of his aft.

"I'll never reveal my sources, but when you spend enough time with humans you pick up on these things. So what if she doesn't want to talk to you yet, those wounds are still very fresh. Especially since this is something she worked so hard to keep from us the first time around. That doesn't mean she couldn't use something to help distract her. You two know her pretty well, think of something you can give her to help. When she's ready to talk again, she'll start talking."

"Wait, that gives me an idea," Sideswipe brightened. He turned and began to walk away. "I'm borrowing Lennox for a few hours," he called over his shoulder before transforming and speeding through base.

"Where is he going?" Ironhide asked.

"Slag if I actually know," Sunstreaker grumbled. "Whatever he's getting it better not explode. I'm going for a wash."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Will Lennox resisted the urge to heave a heavy sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. When Sideswipe had come hunting him down for an important mission he didn't think it would include hopping around various garage sales and digging through people's junk. But the arrest-me-red mech was on a mission and there was no dissuading him. They rolled to a stop in front of yet another house in yet another quiet neighborhood, earning a more than a few curious looks from the people perusing the selections.

Lennox hated garage sales, his parents were… enthusiastic, to be polite, about any kind of junk other people were selling. Many of his childhood Saturdays had been spent being dragged with his sister from one pile of junk to another. And when they went and did their turn every few years some of his own prized possessions were swept up in their frenzy to unload junk – most painful was the loss of his comic book collection and baseball cards in the same day. He got a lock box for his things after that day, and didn't talk to his sister for three months because she had apparently been the one to pick donations from his room while he was out with friends.

Sideswipe's hologram flicked into existence as Will climbed out of the car and the two began looking at the selection. There were buckets of children's toys, boxes and bags of clothes, old scratched up furniture, and rickety card tables piled high with books and useless tchotchkes. A quick look around didn't show Will what they were looking for and his shoulders slumped slightly. The homeowners left the shaded shelter of their garage to greet Will and Sideswipe's hologram, their eyes going hungrily to Sideswipe's alt-form. The wife had a neon pink fanny pack strapped around her waist, no doubt filled with the day's earnings. Will suppressed a shudder. Who the hell still owned, much less _used_ , fanny packs anymore?

"Hi, there," they greeted a little too enthusiastically. "Anything you're specifically looking for?"

"Actually, yes," Will took the lead of the conversation. "We're looking for an electric keyboard… piano… thing." He still had no idea on why Sideswipe was hell bent on finding one. Apparently he wasn't allowed to talk about it, but that didn't stop him from including Will in his hunt.

The homeowners' faces fell as they looked around their belongings. "Oh, no, I'm sorry we don't have one," the husband began.

"Oh, wait," the wife interrupted, earnestly tapping on her husband's shoulder. "James used to have one, remember? When he went through his grungy band phase. Do we still have it? I think we do." She turned on her heel and retreated to the garage, muttering to herself. Will watched the fanny pack bob back and forth from one pile to a set of shelves to a cluttered corner. There was a triumphant "A-ha!" and the sound of some items being shoved onto the floor. She returned a few seconds later, beaming victoriously, and brushing a fine layer or dirt and dead bugs off the keys. "I knew we had it in here."

Will actually smiled; there was a light at the end of the tunnel. "Oh, finally!" He reached to pull it towards himself.

"Wait," Sideswipe cut in, "Does it work? Looks like it's been sitting there for more than a few years."

"Well, we can plug it in and see, it can't hurt to try," the husband offered. He scurried over to an old box fan that was doing its best to make the hot day slightly more bearable and unplugged the extension cord. He brought the cord over to the piano and plugged the keyboard in with anticipation. Nothing, there wasn't even a fizzle in the circuitry. The four wilted in disappointment. Will's tunnel was pitch black again, no more light.

"Oh, I remember now," the wife pitched in. "James kicked this one into the pool when he was trying to film a music video, remember?"

"Oh right, and we told him he had to earn the money to buy a new one and by the time he had enough saved up he was over his band thing and bought a computer instead."

While the couple reminisced Sideswipe threw a quick scan over the broken keyboard, the blue light barely showing in the direct sunlight. Only Will noticed and he shot the hologram standing next to him a look. "Will you give us a minute?" he asked the couple, before walking away a few yards. "So what do you think, could Wheeljack fix it?"

"Oh, happily and easily, though I'm not sure I want him to fix this. One of his projects hasn't suffered a catastrophic failure in a while and I'd hate for this to explode when the wrong chord was hit."

"Oh please, he's not that bad, and how the hell would he make a keyboard explode?"

"You have never witnessed one of Wheeljack's catastrophic failures, and it could happen. Anything could explode once it passes through Wheeljack's hands."

Will heaved a frustrated sigh. "Whatever, you know what. I am done with garage sales. So we're either getting this keyboard and getting Wheeljack to fix it, or we're not getting anything."

Sideswipe's hologram made a face and then sighed in resignation. "Fine, but if this hurts anyone it's on your head. I was really hoping I'd find something to use today, rather than waiting for Wheeljack to fix it."

"Well if you wanted something guaranteed in working condition, then you should have just bought a new one online."

"No that would take too long."

Will suppressed the urge to roll his eyes again. "Alright fine, let's get it and get back to base."

They turned back to the couple, who were watching eagerly from a distance. "Well take it," Sideswipe declared brightly.

Will held up and hand and cut him off. "Will you let me do this please, it's my money you're spending, thank you very much." The hologram shrugged and wandered a few feet away to look at the piles of old toys.

"How much for the keyboard?" Will asked.

"Twenty bucks," the husband stated.

"Ha, no way." Will laughed.

"This is a $500 keyboard," the man insisted.

"Yeah, maybe twenty years ago." Will slipped easily into haggling; the one useful skill he picked up from his parents obsession. "Right now, it doesn't work, it's completely fried, and it's covered in dirt. I'm not spending a cent over ten."

"It's worth much more than ten."

"I could probably find the same model somewhere else for the twenty you're asking for and get one that works. I'm not paying you for the time and effort that I'm going to have to put forth into fixing this."

The homeowners gave Will an exasperated look. "You drive a Lamborghini and you're fighting me over $20," the husband stated scornfully.

"For one," Will held up his fingers for emphasis. "I don't drive the Lamborghini, it's not my car, it's his." He pointed to Sideswipe's holographic back. "Two, the keyboard isn't even for me, I'm just fixing it. And three, I carry cash, he doesn't."

The husband studied Will intently for a couple seconds. "Alright, fifteen."

Will shook his head. "No, ten is my offer for the keyboard."

"Hey, Will," Sideswipe's hologram called over.

The human excused himself for a second with a soft sigh; he was so close to being almost done with this nightmare. "Yes, Sideswipe."

"Can we get this, too?" the hologram pointed down at a small toy piano. "It's not broken, I can tell you that much already."

"Sideswipe, you realize this is a child's toy and not an actual musical instrument."

"Yeah, I know, but I have a use for it. Oh we'll need batteries too."

Will tried not to think of what the red hellion and his twin had planned for these pianos in the first place, probably something he'd regret being involved with in the near future. He picked the thing up and looked at the green $2 price sticker. "You owe me for this," he informed the hologram.

"Okay, new deal," Will announced to the owners. "I'll take the keyboard, the toy, and a wet rag to clean off the keyboard for twelve. If you have fresh batteries for the toy I'll go up to fifteen."

The couple shared a look. "Deal," they agreed. The husband retreated into the house to get a wet rag and hunt for batteries. He returned half a minute later with a wad of damp paper towels and three AA batteries.

With a warm "thank you" Will handed his money to the wife and gave the keyboard a hasty wipe down, getting most of the accumulated grime off. At least it was clean enough that Sideswipe wouldn't throw a fit over it. Ignoring the new stares of a couple who had just wandered up to the garage sale, he threw the pianos into Sideswipe's trunk and sank into the passenger's seat with a huff.

"Can we go back to base now?" he asked wearily.

"Yes," Sideswipe's holoform replied before flicking out of existence as they pulled away from prying eyes.

"Will you tell me now why you dragged me through my own personal hell for a broken keyboard and a child's toy?"

"I really can't tell you, Will. Sorry."

"God, please tell me you're not planning on using these for a prank. Because if you are then let me out now; I'll find my own way back to base. I want nothing to do with one of your pranks."

"No, it's nothing like that. It's a gift for someone okay."

"Oh for Christ's sake, is all this secrecy for Ayla?"

"How do you know she's back?"

"Everybody knows she's back on base, Sideswipe. Are you kidding, nothing stays secret within NEST."

"How much do you know?"

"Not all the details, I imagine, but word is your brother found her a few days back and dragged her back to base. She's been locked in med bay ever since and only about three people are actually allowed to see her. I assume she was hurt pretty bad. I can't see Sunstreaker coming up with a bull shit excuse to drag someone back to base against her will just because he missed her."

"No, she was hurt pretty bad. I really can't say much beyond that."

"Did someone hurt her? Or did she…" Will left the question unfinished, not being able to picture the bubbly young woman he knew hurting herself.

Sideswipe was silent for a moment. "Both, I suppose."

Will swallowed. "Oh… and the pianos?"

"She told me she played. I thought it would be a good distraction while she's stuck in med bay. The toy would just be something small to entertain her while Wheeljack fixes the real one."

"Well, that's awful thoughtful of you," Will commented. He didn't feel nearly as inconvenienced about being drug around to garage sales all afternoon as he had felt a few minutes ago. "She's getting help, though, right? She's talking to a shrink?"

"She refuses to talk to any NEST psychiatrists, so no," Sideswipe muttered darkly.

"What about a civilian?"

"We can't get one on base, and she can't leave Med Bay."

"Yeah, but did you ask- of course you didn't. Hang on. I'm gonna make a call. I know who can help."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Ayla was ignoring Sunstreaker again, placing her focus on the tablet in her hands and her game of Angry Birds. He was angry with her, she could feel it. And quite frankly, she was angry with him. It was just like being stuck with him last summer; sulking around as if this was another enormous inconvenience for him. She didn't _make_ him grab her off the bridge. She hadn't asked for his help. He was free to leave whenever he pleased. She wasn't asking him to stick round now either. The asshole had gone and blabbed everything she had said to the rest of the Autobots too. First he had pried into her darkest secrets and then went and shared things he had no right saying. Now she was stuck facing a parade of new psychiatrists every day. Why should she tell them anything? They'd just turn around and report to Ratchet.

The yellow mech shone in the fluorescent lights of Med Bay. He was freshly washed. That made Ayla angry too. She wasn't even allowed to leave Med Bay for a ten minute shower. It just wasn't fair; he had broken the law by bringing her back. He should be punished too. Furiously, Ayla launched her birds into the stratosphere, not caring about clearing the board.

"You're never going to win playing that way." Sunstreaker commented lazily.

Ayla's only response was to flip him off.

The Med Bay doors opened and Sideswipe sauntered in, looking far too pleased with himself.

"How are we feeling today, sun shines?" he asked.

Both Ayla and Sunstreaker glared back at him. Sideswipe's grin broadened. If only they could see how identical their facial expressions were.

"I have a present for you," the red mech addressed the human.

"I didn't think I deserved presents."

"Of course you do." Sideswipe dropped the toy piano into Ayla's lap.

She looked down at the plastic toy. "What is this?"

"I'd think you'd recognize a piano. You said you played."

"Well, yeah, but this isn't a piano so much as something for six year olds to bang on."

"You'll get a better one in a few days; Wheeljack has to fix it first."

Ayla looked back at the toy. It was a small thing, only three octaves, and its incidental keys were in the colors of the rainbow instead of their regular black. Once upon a time someone had plastered the body of the toy with Lisa Frank stickers and they were stuck there quite firmly. She flipped the power switch and hit a key. A tinny, electronic A floated through the speakers. She knew Sideswipe had brought this in attempts to cheer her up, but right now it felt more patronizing than anything. "Thanks, Sideswipe."

"Can you play something?" he asked eagerly.

She suppressed a sigh, locked eyes with the mech, and plunked out a few bars of "Row Row Row Your Boat."

"Oh, good, you really can play!" Sideswipe exclaimed.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ayla asked, her irritation quickly rising to the surface.

"Oh, nothing," Sideswipe explained, quickly backpedaling. "Just that you mentioned you played and I wanted to-"

"You wanted to see if I had been telling the truth." Ayla completed his sentence for him, with acid in her tone.

"No, not that." Sideswipe quickly insisted.

"You know, not everything that came out of my mouth back then was a blatant lie," Ayla went on, working herself up. "But it's good to know now that nobody thinks I can be trusted anymore with anything."

"That's not what I-" Sideswipe began, but Sunstreaker cut in.

"I don't see what you're getting so pissy over."

"Who are you to talk to me about being pissy?" Ayla rounded on Sunstreaker. "You spent four months in a pissy fit last year because you had to own up to your actions. You barely spoke to me because I put a dent in your bumper! You destroyed my leg and hip and I was perfectly civil to you! Don't talk to me about being pissy!"

"Guys, stop. Sunny, let it go." Sideswipe insisted, stepping between the two.

"You wouldn't have had to go through that if you hadn't decided I was the fastest way to get your afterlife!"

"Oh, so it's my fault that my father is an abusive drunk and he drove me to suicide?"

"That's not what I said," Sunstreaker growled.

"That is _exactly_ what you said," Ayla insisted coldly. "But go ahead, Sunstreaker, try and pull your foot out of your mouth and twist this so you come out the victim here."

"Both of you cut it out!" Sideswipe pushed Sunstreaker back a couple paces. "Ayla, you're angry, I understand-"

"Don't you dare say you understand how I feel! How can you possibly understand? You're not locked up against your will by people you thought were friends! You haven't lost all sense of trust in everyone you know. People don't doubt every word that comes out of your mouth!"

"We're just trying to help. You're in Med Bay for your own good," Sideswipe reasoned.

"How do you know what's for my own good? By what right do you get to decide that? You think that just because you're Autobots you're better? You think you can just decide what's good for me? You make me so furious! I can't even fucking stand to look at you! Just leave me the fuck alone!"

"You ungrateful little bitch!" Sunstreaker shouted pushing against Sideswipe's restraining arms. "I saved your life!"

"I didn't want you to save me! I didn't ask for your help" Ayla shouted back. "I didn't ask for you to ruin my fucking life because you pulled a Tin Man and found your heart!"

"You wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for me!"

"Which is _exactly_ what I wanted! I wasn't on that bridge because I fancied a midnight swim! What right did you have to interfere?" Ayla was screaming at the Sunstreaker now, rage was coming from the deepest parts of her soul and projecting onto the mech. "What do you think I am to you? Some poor little bird with a broken wing that you brought home to cage up and keep as a pet? I'm not your pet! I don't need your pity. I don't need your guilty protection because you were the one who hurt me in the first place! Without you I would have been happily dead a year ago! Instead I get to spend the rest of my fucking life in federal prison thanks to you!"

Sideswipe was still attempting to stop the fight, he flooded his bond with Sunstreaker with calm and pleaded with Ayla. But his attempts went unnoticed.

"How can you possibly think that being dead is better?"

"Every day I live I'm miserable. It's pain and torment! It's a darkness eating away at my brain. It's knowing that all I have to look forward to is this, being locked up and under constant watch! It's torture! How is _this_ better?"

"Because you're alive!"

"I don't want to be alive!"

"I don't believe you." Sunstreaker shouted.

Sideswipe heard heavy, hurried footfalls approaching Med Bay. His twin and human didn't.

"I wish I was dead!" Ayla shouted back. "I wish I was dead! I wish I was dead! I wish I was dead!" She repeated each time with more intensity and desperation.

The doors flew open and a mess of mech's tumbled in. Ayla saw a blur of colors in the corner of her eyes, fluorescent green, black, white, red and blue.

"What in Pit is going on here?" Ratchet demanded moving forward and bodily pulling the twins away from Ayla. "We can hear you two going at each other halfway across base!"

Ayla hastily studied the group, their angry, worried optics, and she saw the human form cupped in Ironhide's hands. _Not another shrink! Not now!_ "Leave me alone! For god's sake just leave me the fuck alone!" she screamed at the mechs. "No more doctors! No more hovering! Just fucking let me go!" With a frustrated shriek, Ayla hurled her tablet at the group of mechs and curled in on herself, trying to block out the new spectators. The tablet bounced off Optimus' arm plating and shattered on the floor.

She heard the new doctor speak quickly, commandingly. "Ironhide, let me down. Everyone, clear out." Ratchet made a protesting noise. "Out! You are the last people she wants to see right now."

"Come on, Ratchet," Prime commanded, ushering the others out of med bay.

Ayla heard Ratchet and Ironhide berating the twins before the door closed. Then she heard soft footsteps approaching and a gentle, warm hand rubber across her back. "Come on, Ayla, it'll be alright." She recognized that voice.

Ayla looked up slowly; Sarah Lennox was crouching next to her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for you. Didn't you know, I'm a psychiatrist. Sideswipe was supposed to tell you."

Ayla's face must have changed drastically, because Sarah smiled. "Don't look at me like that. It'll take more than a few dirty looks to chase me away. Now, come on, let's get you sitting back on your bed."

Ayla let Sarah lead her back to her bed and lay her down. Sarah wetted a cloth in cool water and placed it over Ayla's eyes. She spoke soothingly, warmly, trying to get Ayla to calm down. It was so warm and maternal, Ayla hadn't heard a voice like that in years; she gave in easily.

After a few minutes, she sat up and looked around guiltily. Sarah didn't speak, but waited for Ayla to collect her thoughts.

"I can't believe I just did that."

"Given what you've been through, your emotions are going to be all over the board. Your feelings are normal, your anger is perfectly valid."

"Yeah but… I screamed at Optimus Prime…I threw my tablet at him."

Sarah smiled gently and patted Ayla's shoulder. "He's a good guy; I think he'll forgive you."

"I don't know why I did that, Sideswipe just started saying things and I got so angry and then Sunstreaker stepped in and..."

"I'm not excusing his behavior, but for the Autobots, this is a completely foreign thing to them. You know, to them all humans are rash and over emotional on a good day and when you're going through something like this. They're trying to help, but they aren't quite sure how to act in situations like this. I will be rectifying that oversight as quickly as possible, but right now Ayla, you're my top and only priority. I am here for you."

Sarah studied the girl; she looked so small and scared, so child-like. Her next request did not come as a surprise and Sarah wrapped the girl in a warm hug, in a mother's hug.

"Why don't they understand? How is this so foreign to them, they've been all over the galaxy before coming here."

"For a Cybertronian, thoughts of self-harm and suicide are fixed with a simple trip to a medic. A short diagnostic scan and the medic can use a seek-and-destroy program to wipe out the bad coding. Problem solved in matter of minutes."

"If only we had it so easy," Ayla lamented.

"If only, but that's what I'm here for."

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, look at that. Less than 2 months and we have another chapter. That's definitely a record for me in recent years. Jeez, this fic is coming up on 6 years old, and it's only up to 13 chapters. Writer's block, you're such a bitch.
> 
> Enjoy the warm fuzzies in this chapter (or at least, as warm and fuzzy as Sunstreaker can get).
> 
> As always, I really do appreciate all my readers. Every single one of you. Yes even you.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story, let me know. Even if it's just a couple words in a review. They always make me write a little faster.
> 
> As always, Read, Review, and Enjoy!
> 
> -The Beckster

**Chapter 13**

Ayla sighed heavily and leaned back against her pillows, dropping her tablet in her lap. She was bored. So bored. She'd been confined to Med Bay for a week now, and even her new Autobot enhanced tablet, which could give her just about anything she could ask for, couldn't keep her engaged for more than a few minutes. She'd plunked out every possible tune she could on her toy piano. According to Sideswipe, Wheeljack was trying to really improve the full sized keyboard, what that entailed she couldn't begin to imagine. Ayla nibbled on her breakfast some more, she'd been picking at it for a few hours already; her bagel was still only half eaten.

Ayla felt numb. She wasn't hungry. She wasn't tired. She wasn't particularly restless. She was just tired of being in med bay. She didn't like being locked in, but she really didn't want to go anywhere else. She still didn't want to talk to anyone.

Sarah had been visiting daily and prescribed a full day outside in the sun and fresh air… as soon as her restrictions were lifted and Ayla wouldn't immediately be carted off to federal prison for leaving.

God she'd give anything for a chance to get out and stretch her legs and to sit in the sun and catch a breath of fresh air. Ayla threw her head back, buried her face in her hands, and let out her frustration in a low groan. How much longer could they keep her locked in here before one party or the other put their collective feet down and made a decision?

She wasn't really sure whose feet she wanted to come down though. Of course, she really didn't want to go to prison, and outside of this base she didn't have anywhere else to go except back to her father. On the other hand, she couldn't exactly stay with the Autobots, she didn't have a place or purpose here. She was in the way, a waste of space, and time, and resources. She was only here because they felt guilty for Sunstreaker hitting her in the first place and now they felt responsible for her for allowing her to return to her father.

The heavy click of a lock and the hiss of doors opening broke into Ayla's moaning. She dragged her hands away from her face to glare at the intruder.

"I'm still mad at you, you know," she advised the yellow mech as he slipped into med bay.

"Oh no, a little five foot nothing human is mad at me. However shall I cope?" Sunstreaker shot back mockingly.

"What are you doing here?" Ayla asked.

"It's my turn to watch you," Sunstreaker stated, plunking himself down on the berth across from Ayla.

"I thought after our last shouting match we were grounded from each other," Ayla pointed out, using Sarah's words for their forced separation.

"Well consider yourself ungrounded. You're not eating?" Sunstreaker pointed to Ayla's half-finished bagel.

"I'm not hungry."

"Since when are you not hungry?"

"Since I've had nothing but plain bagels for breakfast for the last seven days. I mean, is it that hard for them to bring me some fruit and yogurt for once or some cereal or oatmeal? Can I not be trusted with a plastic spoon? Knives and forks I can see, but a spoon?" Ayla stopped abruptly, realizing she was she was getting worked up over. She took a deep breath. "Sorry."

"If yogurt is that important to you I'm sure you could ask for a spoon and they'd let you have some," Sunstreaker teased.

"If you're just going to sit here and antagonize me you can leave." Ayla gave the mech a cold glare. "Why are you really here?"

"I came to see if you would like to get out of Med Bay for a few hours."

"Last I checked, I still wasn't allowed to leave."

"It's called sneaking out. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept."

Ayla snorted. "Yeah, we'll get exactly three steps out the door before Ratchet comes back and locks me back in."

"Ratchet, Prowl, and Prime are busy pleading your case before the Board of Directors. They'll be tied up all day."

"And where's Sideswipe getting in on this escapade? I imagine he's off rigging something to blow up halfway across base so you can make a clean get away?"

"No, he's seeing the Board too. They like him more."

"Not you? But you're so kind and sociable." Ayla placed her hand over her heart in mock insult.

"Your sarcasm is duly noted," Sunstreaker remarked dryly. He held out his hand for the human. "Do you want out of here or would you rather spend the day composing your spoon manifesto?"

"Well, I don't know. A spoon manifesto actually sounds kinda fun now that you mention it," Ayla stated, climbing into Sunstreaker's palm.

They took the long way outside, Sunstreaker stepping quickly into side rooms to avoid any witnesses, but eventually they made it outside. Ayla nearly cried; it was an absolutely, perfect, beautiful day. The sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the sky was a stunning clear blue. Ayla hadn't realized how much she had actually missed seeing the sky while she was locked up in Med Bay, it didn't have any windows.

Sunstreaker transformed quickly and Ayla hurried into his passenger seat.

"Don't move," he instructed as they pulled up to the gate.

The guard stepped out of the gate house. "Where you going today, Sunstreaker?" he asked.

"Out." Was the curt reply.

That seemed to be Sunstreaker's usual answer because the guard didn't respond, but the gate was opened and Sunstreaker tore away from the base. As soon as they were out of sight of the base, Sunstreaker opened his windows, and Ayla, with a content smile on her face leaned out and watched the scenery zip by.

They didn't speak to each other for some time, which suited them both. They would their way north east, up into the mountains. After about an hour, Ayla asked if she could stretch her legs for a bit.

Sunstreaker pulled off at a little picnic spot on the mountain road. There was a bathroom, a couple vending machines, and a handful of picnic tables under a small copse of trees. It was deserted.

Ayla stretched and smiled, "It's a great view," she commented, basking in the late morning sun.

Sunstreaker transformed behind her but stayed back, keeping an optic and audio receptor trained on the road for incoming traffic.

Ayla wandered over to the cliff edge fence. It was an old split rail lined with chicken wire; obviously planned to keep small children and pets from going over the edge more than anything else. She put one foot on the rail and leaned over to look down at the dizzying, almost-sheer drop down a hundred feet or more, and then out again at the magnificent mountain views. But Ayla kept finding her eyes drawn downward and her smile faded.

"Ayla, step away from the edge," Sunstreaker called out cautiously. He had seen the change in her posture and moved slowly towards her. Perhaps this hadn't been a good idea.

She looked back at the mech and then put her other foot on the fence rail, leaning farther out. "It would be so easy, you know?" she stated flatly, quietly, but Sunstreaker still heard her. "So quick, even you wouldn't be able to catch me this time."

"Ayla," Sunstreaker warned, moving closer. He was still too far away if she decided to jump, but what would she do if he rushed her?

Ayla wavered on the fence, as if her muscles were urging her to move forward and jump and also fighting to push her back.

Sunstreaker's spark froze. He still wasn't close enough.

Ayla took a deep breath and stepped down from the fence. She wasn't surprised when Sunstreaker plucked her up and deposited her at the picnic tables, a safe two hundred feet from the cliff edge.

"Primus's sake, you've gotta stop doing that!"

"I'm sorry," Ayla muttered to the table top.

"If I were to go back to base without you I'd be locked in the brig for the rest of my life. Do you know how long we live?"

"Yeah, I'd hate to inconvenience you like that," Ayla muttered.

Sunny caught himself. "I-I didn't mean it like-"

Ayla met the mech's optics with an attempted smile. "It was a joke, Sunstreaker. I know." She lay back on the table with a sigh. Ayla was silent for a few minutes as she watched the leave on the trees above her dance gently in the breeze. "What's going to happen to me?"

"Well, if Ratchet gets his way, which he usually does, the Board will agree to you staying on base until such time as Sarah deems you to be a very low or no risk case. That should give us plenty of time to figure out what to do with you so you don't have to return to your father. Ever."

"But that's still dependent on IF the Board agrees to allow me to stay?"

"It's not that big of an If, not with Prowl arguing your case. If he had a mind to he could convince ant-droids to give up picnics completely—mainly by boring them to death."

"Okay, but what's after that? This is a short-term fix at best. I can't stay on base for the rest of my life. What happens after Sarah clears me? I'm a nineteen year old with a middle school education and no job skills whatsoever. Nobody's gonna to hire me and doing the "normal" thing and going to college is completely out of the question. Even if by some miracle I was smart enough to get accepted to a college I couldn't afford the textbooks, much less tuition and room and board."

"I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself," Sunstreaker reasoned. "And you're smarter than you think, for a human."

"I'm perceptive, is what I am, Mister Super Computer for a Brain. I know how to shut up and pay attention. That's not smarts, that's a survival skill."

"Actually it's both." Sunstreaker had turned his optics to the mountain view and kept them stubbornly locked there.

"Doesn't matter how you spin it. It's not going to do me any good." Ayla heaved a sigh and the two fell into silence for a few minutes. She watched the tree tops sway back and forth. "I'm just going to be stuck in this loop for the rest of my life. I'm stuck somewhere shitty, you guys come in and take me out for a while, but when all's said and done I just get stuck back somewhere shitty. There's no way out of it."

"There's always a way out."

"Well, there's one way, but that's not really an option at the moment."

"That's never an option." Sunstreaker insisted sternly. "Look, Ayla, I grew up into a war. By the time we were equivalently your age, Sideswipe and I had already been on the front lines of battles. Over our time in the war we've been kidnapped, held hostage, cornered, out gunned, and left for dead more times than I can remember. We're front liners; we go into battle knowing we fall under the category of "acceptable casualties." But if I know anything, I know that there is always a way out of any bad situation."

"I don't think my daddy issues quite compare to your experiences in the war. The comparison kind of belittles yours, doesn't it?"

"Your father drove you to ending your life multiple times. So, no I don't think it's a poor comparison."

Ayla wasn't quite sure how to respond. Her eyes began to sting with tears and she blinked rapidly to stop them. "Well… if that's how you feel." She almost made it to the end of the sentence before her voice broke.

"What's wrong?" Sunny asked, turning back to watch Ayla.

"Nothing," she insisted, sitting up and rubbing furiously at her eye. "I just got a piece of dirt… or tree in my eye or something. I'll go wash it out." She leapt off the table and bade a hasty retreat to the bathroom.

Within the quiet privacy of the bathroom Ayla allowed her tears to fall freely for a moment. She wasn't even sure why she was crying. Other than, it had been twelve hours since her last emotional breakdown so this was obviously the perfect time for her brain to turn on the water works again. She took a few deep breaths and shook herself; the tears stopped. It wasn't because of what Sunstreaker had said. What did it matter what he thought? She'd probably be gone again by the end of the day anyway. There was no way she'd be allowed to stay on base.

Ayla stepped over to a sink and splashed some cold water on her face. She pressed a wet paper towel to her eyes for a minute. When she took it away she caught the first proper look at herself in the mirror that she'd had in over a week.

Ayla knew that her face had been cut up, but she didn't realize how _bad_ it actually looked. She barely recognized herself when looking at the left side of her face. She reached up gingerly and traced the sutures, touched the tender scabs. She studied herself for a long time, reacquainting herself with her new face. There would be a lot of scars this time. The left half of her face would never match the right side again. The corner of her mouth would always be pulled down into a frown.

Eventually Ayla tore herself away from the mirror. Sunstreaker was still sitting by the picnic tables.

"You took a while, you okay?" he asked as she climbed back onto her table top.

"Yeah, I just haven't seen a mirror in the last week, that's all. I didn't realize how bad my face was messed up."

"You'll heal, the stitches will come out soon."

"Yeah, but I'll still have scars for the rest of my life."

"Don't you humans have creams that remove scars or something?"

"Yes, but I can't even afford to buy a cheeseburger right now, much less afford expensive scar cream. So that's kind of out of the question, and I don't think scar removal falls under "acceptable expenses" for me either."

"Well at least you won't have to sand off layers of your skin to make your scars disappear."

"Is that how you guys remove scars?"

"Only way to do it."

"That sounds incredibly unpleasant."

"It's not as bad on metal as it would be on soft skin, but it's time consuming." Sunstreaker turned around quickly towards the road. "Someone's coming." He transformed just as a dusty old pick-up pulled into the lot.

Ayla saw an older man and a dog jump out of the truck. Without hesitation the dog made a beeline for Ayla. His owner called after him, too late; Ayla was abruptly introduced to 70 pounds of Golden Retriever.

"I'm sorry about that," the older man apologized as he jogged over to the table. "He gets very excited to meet new people."

"It's alright," Ayla smiled and scratched the dog's ears. "What's his name?"

"Radar."

"Well, he must have known that I needed a dog hug." Ayla didn't look up from scratching Radar, but she knew the old man was looking at her wounds and Sunstreaker.

"Radar always knows," his owner smiled. "He's training to be a therapy dog, got everything down except the calm greeting." There was an awkward pause. "Pardon my asking, but you look like you've been through the ringer. Are you okay?"

"Car accident," Ayla lied seamlessly. "My face had a disagreement with the window, my car was totaled. My uncle let me borrow car so I could get out of the house and stretch my legs."

"That's a hell of a loaner."

"No better road therapy than a Lamborghini." Ayla smiled brightly.

"No kidding. Listen I've gotta clean the bathrooms, but you're welcome to sit with Radar if you want. It'll keep him from tracking dirt onto my clean floors," he chuckled.

"That sounds nice, I could use a therapy session."

The older man walked away with a stern command for Radar to behave, but the dog was already quite enamored with Ayla and her ear scratches.

"You are very good at that." Sunstreaker commented.

"Good at what?" Ayla asked coaxing the dog onto the table next to her.

"Lying, did you even think about what to say before the words came out of your mouth?"

"No, not really; I've been doing it for so long it just happens."

"If I didn't know better, I never would have known you were lying. You had no physical tells."

"Yeah well, that's another one of those survival skills," Ayla said sullenly. "It's compulsive, I don't always think about it." She turned more towards Radar and put her attention into petting him.

Sunstreaker took the hint and let her be.

Ayla spent a good ten minutes talking to the dog, petting him from head to tail, and giving him a very enthusiastic round of belly rubs. Eventually Radar settled down with a content huff, his head in Ayla's lap.

"You think I'd be allowed to get a therapy dog?" Ayla mused aloud, playing with Radar's floppy ears.

"Absolutely not."

"What about a cat?"

"Again, no."

"Why not? A pet on base could do wonders for morale."

"We have enough trouble with you humans under foot, letting a smaller, squishier animal run free is asking for a disaster. Not to mention an active military base is just a bad place for pets in the first place."

"I guess you have a point there. But still, you can't argue that a dog would be nice to have around."

"I really don't understand their appeal. They're messy and slobbery, they shed everywhere, and they have to be extensively trained to understand basic commands."

"Yeah, but dogs are so pure, so good. Their basic instinct is to love something. They're like angels on four legs." Ayla paused for a moment, looking into Radar's big brown eyes. He wagged his tail harder and smiled up at her. "Sometimes it's nice to have a dog's unconditional love. You just have to treat them well and they'll love you forever. Even if it is just a dog, it's nice to know someone values you."

"You humans are so sentimental," Sunstreaker commented. Ayla could hear him rolling his optics.

"Yes, but dogs are worth it," she smiled.

"If you say so, but we need to leave. You have to be back in med bay before Ratchet gets out of the meeting."

"Oh goody, back to being locked up in med bay." Ayla hopped off the table and headed towards the road.

"You won't be stuck in there for forever," Sunstreaker reminded her, rolling towards the lot.

Ayla didn't respond. Instead she instructed Radar to go wait in his truck, figuring she'd have to walk him into it. But the dog seemed to understand. He hopped into the truck bed quite happily and got a final 'good-bye' ear scratch from Ayla.

Then with a quick "You better not get dog fur all over my interior," from Sunstreaker, they were gone.

It seemed, when they first returned to base, that their little trip had gone unnoticed. Ayla fully expected everyone to be lurking at the front gate, waiting to catch them upon their return. But no, they were let back in without question, and they made it most of the way to med bay without running into anyone. Ayla thought she had made it home free until they rounded the last corner.

Everyone was waiting outside med bay. Prime, Prowl, Ratchet, Sideswipe, and a bunch of people Ayla didn't recognize. Some of them wore NEST badges, some were in suits. They all looked angry.

"Keep your mouth shut and let me handle this," Sunstreaker muttered before he set Ayla back down.

"Where have you been?" Ratchet demanded.

Sunstreaker shrugged. "Outside."

"You broke Ayla out of med bay to take her outside?" Prowl asked disbelievingly.

"Breaking out implies that she was locked in, which she wasn't. I just thought that after spending a week cooped up in med bay Ayla would like to get some fresh air, that's a thing humans need, right?"

"The fact of the matter is you deliberately removed Ayla from med bay, knowing fully well that doing so would land her a life time sentence in federal prison and yourself in the brig."

"No I didn't. Sideswipe told me as soon as a decision was made. We've only been gone about ten minutes or so."

Ayla looked between the twins, had they been talking this whole time? Obviously yes; she knew the mechs had private com links to one another. She wondered if all the Autobots were in on this and they were just putting on a show for the humans. Maybe… Prowl was impossible to read, but Ratchet didn't seem irritated enough to not know. Prime was hard to read too, but Ayla maybe saw a hint of satisfaction in his optics.

"But you were still banned from contact with Ayla. You weren't allowed in med bay in the first place," Ratchet interjected angrily.

"You know why I did it. Do I really have to say it out loud?" Now Sunstreaker was getting irritated.

"Yes." Ratchet and Sideswipe both responded.

Sunstreaker vented in frustration. Then, instead of looking at his superior officers across from him he looked down at Ayla. "I thought I'd do something nice for Ayla to apologize for yelling at her the other day." He looked back up, locking optics with his twin. "Are you happy now?"

Ayla half smiled up at the mech. It wasn't a direct apology, but it was the best she was going to get from Sunstreaker. Even if Sideswipe had goaded it out of him, she knew it was sincere.

"Well, I'm happy," one of the NEST humans stepped forward. "If you want to come with us Ms. Catagiry, we have a lot to discuss."


End file.
